Last month, Witherspoon, 44, announced that her beloved French bulldog, Pepper, died. Witherspoon's daughter, Ava Phillippe, added in an emotional post of her own that Pepper had been battling an \"aggressive cancer\" for several months.
\"Just when we thought she was getting better, things took a turn for the worst, and she passed peacefully, surrounded by those who love her,\" the 21-year-old wrote. \"If you ever met Peps, you’d know she was such a special girl.\"
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Today is a tough day. Our sweet girl, Pepper, passed away last night from an aggressive cancer, which she’d been battling for months now. Just when we thought she was getting better, things took a turn for the worst, and she passed peacefully, surrounded by those who love her. If you ever met Peps, you’d know she was such a special girl. She was smart, sassy, and loved cuddling. She enjoyed playing in the yard with our Labrador, Hank, and would make everyone laugh with her surprisingly speedy “zoomies” around the house. She also had a unique way of expressing herself with funny little noises that sounded like they were from some sort of pigeon. Pepper was simply the best, and I repeatedly told her how perfect I thought she was. This girl got me through so many tough times, including some of my teenage years, and I am forever grateful for our bond. I’ll always treasure the times when I’d come home from college and she would meet me at the door, jumping for joy, and I’d pick her up so she could lick my face. She really knew how to make me feel special! As sad as I am and as much as I’ve cried over losing her, I am happy she had such a great life and is no longer in pain. ❤️ Love you forever, miss Peps.
A post shared by ava (@avaphillippe) on Oct 20, 2020 at 8:30am PDT
Days later, Phillippe announced that she'd rescued a mixed-breed named Benji. Coincidentally, Benji's \"gotcha\" day coincided with Pepper's death.
\"What a wild & bittersweet week. The day we lost Pepper just so happened to be the day I brought this sweet boy home with me,\" Phillippe wrote. \"This is Benji! He’s from the @bestfriendsanimalsociety sanctuary in Southern Utah and is a dream of a rescue dog.\"
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