Kelly Ripa broke down in tears while announcing the death of her dog Chewie with Mark Consuelos on Live With Kelly and Mark.
“We had a rough day yesterday. We had to say goodbye to Chewie yesterday,” Mark, 53, told the audience during the Wednesday, February 5, episode of the talk show.
The Riverdale actor said that a vet came to the apartment he shares with Kelly, 54, in New York City to administer humane euthanasia to their dog.
“Chewie had stopped eating for a couple of days and had been eating less and less for the past few weeks. She was extremely dehydrated and had some neurological stuff going down,” Mark explained. “And you think, ‘OK, I’m doing the right thing, this is going to be not easy but …’ It’s probably one of the toughest things we’ve had to do as a married couple.”
“I know pet owners at home can understand this,” the Pitch alum continued. “It takes a pet owner to understand this kind of loss. It’s grief. It really is grief. But knowing that we did the right thing because it was just going to be really, really, really bad over the next few days for her.”
Mark then explained that the couple adopted Chewie after an adoption segment on Live many years ago. “If it wasn’t for this show, we wouldn’t know Chewie,” he said about the beloved canine. “She grew up with our kids.”
Kelly grew visibly emotional, wiping away tears as Mark remembered Chewie. He comforted his wife and told her he would “do the heavy lifting” because Kelly was “taking it hard.”
“I’m really sorry. I thought I got it all out, guys. I really thought I got it all out and I apologize because this is not how I wanted this to go down,” Kelly said as tears streamed down her face. “God, she gave us so much.”
“We’re filled with gratitude for this dog. I apologize, I’m so sorry,” the Emmy winner continued. “She gave us so much. As each one of our kids left for college and then moved out on their own, Chewie remained right there like our steadfast companion.”
Kelly reflected on being “lucky” that she and Mark have “not had loss in our lives, a tremendous loss like this.”
“We still have all of our parents. We’re so fortunate,” the TV host, who shares kids Michael, Lola and Joaquin with Mark, said. “I feel very bad crying in front of you when people have — there are much bigger problems in the world, and I understand that. But you have to understand that this dog was so special, and she was such a great girl.”
Kelly and Mark said that they had a farewell procession for Chewie at their home.
“It was, dare I say, presidential,” Kelly said. “People came, people like the mail carrier. People came to say goodbye to Chewie because she was such a beloved member of the community. Not just our dog, she was like the neighborhood dog.”
