Kaley Cuoco has opened up about her late dog Shirley.
The Big Bang Theory star turned to Instagram on Sunday (November 24) to share the reason why she decided to rehome her dog, who recently died of cancer.
“Most of you know I had [Shirley] for many, many, many years,” she started off her Instagram Reel. “All of a sudden, you kind of stopped seeing her, and I started to get a lot of questions as to where she was because it’s very unlike me to just stop posting about a dog that I’ve had since she was six weeks old.”
She continued to praise the dog, saying, “Long story short, she’s a very special dog to me, as you all know.”
Unfortunately, Shirley was not able to get along with her fiancé, Tom Pelphrey’s dog, Cuoco continued. “And when the love of my life came into my life, Tom, who is also a mega dog lover, and he moved across the country with his beautiful German Shepherd, Blue, a couple years ago, unfortunately, Blue and Shirley started getting into some mega fights,” she said.
She added that the fights were intense to the point where Shirley appeared “determined to kill Blue” and would fight with most dogs except for her other dog Norman.
Although Shirley was violent around other dogs, she loved being around people. However, she became afraid of another animal being hurt, which led to the decision that Shirley could no longer live with her and Pelphrey anymore.
“I loved her so much, but I was really scared,” Cuoco said. “I didn’t want something really bad to happen or possibly a person accidentally be there and get hurt.”
Cuoco clarified that despite rehoming her dog, she wanted to make sure that she went to the right home. “I didn’t want her to end up in a home that didn’t understand her because she is so special and I’ve had her for so long,” she said.
Thankfully, Cuoco’s pet handler, Tony, and his wife volunteered to take in Shirley and they kept her until she died. “They have loved her so so much, and it was an excruciating decision,” the Flight Attendant actor said.
Cuoco explained that Shirley had “a very aggressive bone cancer that came on very quickly.”
“She was almost 14 years old, which is an unbelievable life for a dog,” she continued. “And I just wanted to share her story and what we had to do.”
“She had an amazing life with us and an amazing last for years with Tony and Angie. I am devastated that she has gone over the rainbow bridge.”
Cuoco is known for being a huge advocate for rescued animals. “Obviously I rescue dogs, and everyone knows that about me, but I’ve really expanded to farm animals and even Thoroughbreds and horses off the track,” the actress said in an interview with People in May.
She has taken this love for all kinds of animals and put it into her ranch in Thousand Oaks, California which includes horses, donkeys, chickens, goats, cows, and pigs. “Really anything with four legs is welcome here. We don’t turn anyone away. It’s become this magical place,” Cuoco said.
