Chrissy Teigen is saying goodbye to a dear family member.
In a heartbreaking Instagram post on Saturday, Jan. 25, the 39-year-old cookbook author lamented the death of her dog Penny. Teigen reminisced on the life and steady friendship of the French bulldog while posting a series of images of the pooch.
“Our beautiful little tripod queen, Penny, passed on peacefully in her sleep today,” she told me. “Born the same day John and I got married, 11 years ago, she was there for us for every baby, every loss, and every joy.”
Teigen then gave a little look at Penny’s personality. “She loved nothing more than being loved— having her nub rubbed, and destroying any ball she could get her paw on— even till her last weeks,” she narrated.
“Never forget that while each pup is just a few chapters in your long life, you are their entire book, their entire lives,” she said, before ending with a loving message for Penny herself. “Oh, Penny. We were really blessed to have you. Please say hello to Puddy and Pippa for us. You’re all together again.”
Teigen’s picture carousel featured a snapshot of herself and Penny rubbing their heads together, as well as a photo of the former model and her husband, John Legend, cuddling with their puppy. Another photo shows the couple’s six-year-old son Miles in a playful stance with Penny on a rug.
Penny was one of several pets at the Teigen-Legend home. Over the years, the family has received several canines, as well as a variety of other creatures such as birds, hamsters, and even a bearded dragon.
Teigen paid tribute to her canine buddies in November 2023, posting photographs of some of her family canines from the past on Instagram. She captioned the image, which included a vintage shot of herself and her mother with a little dog, “My OG babies! “I’ve always been a basset lover. 🥰. Give me all the dogs!””
Another adorable photo showed Penny napping on the couch. Teigen told PEOPLE shortly after adopting the dog in 2014, “She’s a little tripod,” about her missing foreleg.
She said at the time, “She has experienced abuse, and we are overjoyed to welcome her into the family.”
Earlier this month, amid the horrific wildfires in Los Angeles, Teigen confessed that she and her family were forced to flee their house, along with their many dogs. On Jan. 8, after posting on Instagram that she was packing and admitting, “I’m very scared now,” the mother of four provided another update once her huge crew had settled into a hotel room.
She posted a series of videos from her bed, when two of her other dogs, Petey and Pearl, got up to join her. She joked in the caption, “4 dogs, 4 kids, and a bearded dragon walk into a hotel.”
Later, she shared another video, informing her fans that Bearded Dragon Sebastian was safe and sound with his family.
“Don’t worry, Sebastian made it,” she murmured, petting the reptile against her chest. “We will never forget Sebastian; how dare you, guys? “He is with us.”