Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos are mourning the loss of their beloved rescue dog, 

Chewie, who became a cherished part of their family after they first met her on their long-running ABC talk show. 

The couple shared their heartbreaking news with viewers, reflecting on the 17 years they spent with their beloved Shih Tzu.

On Wednesday, February 5, an emotional Ripa revealed that a veterinarian had come to their New York City home to help ease Chewie’s passing. 

The family made the difficult decision to put her to sleep after noticing a decline in her health.

Consuelos, 53, acknowledged how painful the experience was, calling it a “rough” goodbye. 

“Chewie had stopped eating for a couple of days and had been eating less and less over the past few weeks,” he explained. “She was extremely dehydrated and had some neurological issues going on.”

Despite knowing it was the best decision for their pet, Consuelos admitted that saying goodbye was incredibly difficult. “You think, ‘Okay, 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.”

As he spoke, Ripa, 54, struggled to hold back tears. She apologized to the audience, explaining that she thought she had processed her emotions before going on air. “I really thought I got it all out, guys,” she said. “I apologize because this is not how I wanted this to go down.”

Consuelos acknowledged that many pet owners would understand the depth of grief they were experiencing. “It takes a pet owner to really get it,” he said. “It’s grief. It really is grief. But we know we did the right thing because it was only going to get worse for her.”

The couple reflected on how Chewie had been there for many milestones in their lives. She was part of their family as their children—Michael, 27, Lola, 23, and Joaquin, 21—grew up and eventually left for college. “If it wasn’t for this show, we wouldn’t know Chewie,” Consuelos added. “She grew up with our kids.”

Ripa admitted that the loss was particularly difficult for them because they had not yet faced a tragedy of this magnitude. “We still have all of our parents. We’re so fortunate,” she said. She also acknowledged that while she understood there were larger problems in the world, Chewie’s passing had left a deep void. “You have to understand that this dog was so special, and she was such a great girl.”

Despite the sorrow, Ripa ended the emotional conversation with a bittersweet memory. She shared that Chewie had never allowed them to kiss her face while she was alive. “She never let us kiss her face, she was very precious about her face,” Ripa recalled with a small smile. “And after she passed away last night, I kissed her 1,000 times on her face. I kissed her nose; I’d never kissed her nose before.”

Ripa humorously imagined Chewie’s reaction in the afterlife. “I know she was somewhere in dog heaven, pissed off,” she laughed. “But I didn’t care because it just felt so nice to have that moment with her.”

Though they are heartbroken over losing Chewie, Ripa and Consuelos still have another dog, Lena, a Maltese/Shih Tzu mix they adopted over four years ago. The couple remains grateful for the years they spent with Chewie, knowing she was loved and cherished until the very end.

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