Tennis champ Serena Williams has a long list of famous athlete and celebrity friends, but her closest friend of all, perhaps, has been of the four-legged, furry persuasion. who achieved a different kind of success: Her beloved dog, Jackie.
According to Williams’ Instagram feed, her beloved dog, Jackie, died Tuesday, Nov. 24, at the age of 16. Naturally, the 34-year-old shared a heartfelt message via social media to “My special friend” who she got when she was just 17 years old (“2 weeks before I won my first Grand Slam”) and who stayed by her side up until the very end.
Jackie, whose full name was Jackie Baila Pete Williams, “was still sprinting” up until “a few days ago,” wrote Williams. But the adorable pooch’s “poor body gave out this morning,” she noted, and Jackie “had a way of telling me it was time for me to be brave and let her go.”
So Williams, along with father, Richard Williams, was “able to say a loving goodbye” to her dear pup. “She was with me from 1999 until today and I miss her so much,” she wrote. “I got out of the shower this afternoon and she was not there to lick my leg as she always did every day to remind me how much she loved me. I feel so lucky to have had such a special friend.”
The athlete posted an additional snap of “My angel” in her tennis bag. She also shared one of Jackie with her dog siblings, Lauralei and Chip, writing, “[We] miss you so much. We will never forget u …Thank you for the kindness and joy you brought us.” R.I.P. Jackie. Send Williams some love in the comment section below.
