Tom Brady announces death of beloved pet dog, Lua

Pet owners everywhere understand the profound sense of loss that comes with the death of a beloved animal, and even someone as wealthy and famous as retired NFL legend Tom Brady is not immune from the pain, as Fox News reports.

According to Brady's Instagram page, his family's canine companion, Lua, passed away.

Brady's sad news

The longtime gridiron standout shared photos to mark the sad occasion, the first of which depicted two of his three kids lying alongside the dog.

“We love you Lua RIP,” the caption, which included a series of emojis, read.

Brady also posted an image of Lua enjoying some warm sunlight, writing, “Forever in our hearts.”

Bunchen weighs in

The grieving process was not limited to Brady and his children alone, as his ex-wife Gisele Bündchen, with whom he previously owned the dog, also took to social media to share her sadness.

Bündchen wrote, “Our little Lulu, our guardian angel is gone to heaven. She will forever live in our hearts. We already miss her sooooo much!”

The renowned model added 10 photos to the post, with some depicting the late pup with the two children she shares with Brady.

Unsung animal hero

Though Brady has never been shy about showing his affection for his pets, his history as an animal shelter volunteer is not as well known.

As Fox News noted, Brady and his onetime teammate Logan Ryan spent time with shelter pets during their time as members of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers squad, a personal detail on which Ryan's wife expanded on Instagram earlier this year.

“I guess I'll chime in with my Tom Brady story,” Ashley Bragg Ryan began. “It's the one about the dad who volunteered at the animal shelter with his kids throughout an entire football season. The one where he bonded with his kids over naming puppies and bottle-feeding kittens. The one where he silently showed up every other week to make a difference for his family and his community.”

Adding a personal touch, Mrs. Ryan added, “The one where 2 dads just got to be dads and beamed with pride every time their kids said, 'Please can we just stay a little bit longer?!'”

“The one where two little girls built a friendship around their love of tiny baby kittens and did their part in making the world better place,” she concluded.

Though it is impossible to every truly replace a departed pet in the hearts of the family that loved him or her, hopefully Brady and his children can now take some solace by continuing to nurture the pair of Siamese kittens they adopted back in February.