Few celebrities love animals as much as Kaley Cuoco. The Big Bang Theory star, 38, is both an advocate for animal rights and a mom to many pets.
But sadly, Cuoco recently had to say goodbye to one of her beloved pets, her German Shepherd Blue.
“He was amazing”
The actress announced Blue’s passing in a social media post, and paid tribute to the sweet dog.
“I have cried harder over the loss of this gorgeous creature than I have in a long time,” Cuoco wrote on Instagram. “We have had to put down three dogs in the last year and this one has made me reflect.”
Cuoco wrote that Blue had an extra special relationship with her partner, Tom Pelphrey. “The relationship he had with Blue was so special,” she wrote. “They were quite the duo.”
She admits that this made things “rough” at the beginning: “He didn’t love me the way he loved Tom. I had never experienced this before,” the Flight Attendant star wrote. “All dogs love me! I could tell he was wondering why I was still here?… Tom was his, and he didn’t want to share.”
“Then I finally understood because I felt the same way about Tom,” she added. “My love is so deep for him sometimes I didn’t want to share him with the world either.”
Cuoco wrote that, over time, Blue came to accept both partners as his family: “Blue finally realized we were a family and we were all sticking together. Something changed. He was amazing. Protective of me and the rest of our pup crew, always on guard.”
She wrote that Blue was equally protective of her baby daughter Matilda when she arrived. While Blue came to love the whole family, his special love and loyalty to Tom never wavered.
“He was the quiet mascot of our home but Tom was and will always be his one and only,” Cuoco wrote. “They saved each other.”
“Blue, it was an honor to be your second favorite human down here on earth.”
“He was the most beautiful dog I’ve ever seen”
In his own social media post, Pelphrey paid tribute to his close companion. He wrote that he got Blue on Christmas Eve 2018, and that the dog had been adopted and returned at least three times; he was kept in a kennel and considered “too aggressive” to have a home.
But Pelphrey was willing to put the work in, and knew he could be the one to give Blue a home. With patience, training and “a lot of love,” he helped Blue overcome his behavior issues.
“He was the most beautiful dog I’ve ever seen,” Pelphrey wrote. “I wasn’t sure if I would be able to have people to my apartment ever again- I didn’t care.”
Pelphrey wrote that he stopped flying for work and started driving so Blue could go with him. The two traveled across the country together. He says that within a year Blue had come such a long way that he was “unrecognizable.” “It’s amazing what some love and stability can accomplish,” Pelphrey wrote. “Blue was teaching me, and I didn’t know it yet.”
Like Cuoco, he remembered how Blue became a sweet protector of Matilda and their other, smaller dogs.
“He was by my side the entire time (literally)… protecting me and guiding me into a new, fuller life. I guess that’s what Shepards do. I held him at the end,” he wrote. “I’m heartbroken. I’m full of gratitude to God for every second with one of His angels.”
Said goodbye to three dogs this year
It’s clear that both Cuoco and Pelphrey loved Blue so much, and we know they’re devastated — and the loss is made even worse by the fact that they already had to say goodbye to so many pets this past year.
Last May, Cuoco said goodbye to her beloved rescue Chihuahua Dump Truck. In her tribute, Cuoco praised her dog for getting her through “some of the hardest moments I’ve had in my life.”
In September, Cuoco announced the death of one of her horses, Bella. And last month, she mourned the death of Kingy, the first dog she and Pelphrey adopted together.
While the couple have said many goodbyes, they’ve also opened their hearts to other dogs in need: in September, Cuoco and Pelphrey adopted a senior rescue dog named Red.
A true lover of animals, Cuoco has always opened her home to many pets. “I’m not allowed to say how many I have, because I am afraid they will come knocking, saying that it’s an illegal amount,” she joked to Variety in 2021.
In addition, she has used her fame as an actress to advocate for animal rights, speaking out against pet abandonment, Canadian seal hunting and horse abuse. She is a member of the Humane Society of the United States and promoted the dog rescue Paw Works.
Rest in peace, Blue. It’s clear you were loved a lot and changed the lives of Kaley Cuoco and Tom Pelphrey.
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