Jessie James Decker is mourning the loss of a beloved family member, whom she recognizes as her and her husband’s first child.
The country music star, 37, shared the sad news in a March 16 Instagram tribute, revealing that her longtime dog, Jakey, had recently died after more than 14 years with Decker’s family.
“I’m heartbroken to share that our Jakey has passed,” Decker began the emotional caption. “He was with us for 14 1/2 beautiful years. He was our first baby and made us a family.”
“He was with us as we fell in love, got engaged, married, with us as we had all four of our children (he loved them so much),” she wrote of Jakey’s relationship with her family of six. “Every chapter of our lives… he grew up with us.”
According to Decker, the pup held a special place in the lives of both her and her husband, retired NFL player Eric Decker, 39, long before they became parents. Alongside the touching caption, Jessie shared 20 images of Jakey and his sister Jenny, featuring the family throughout the years.
Though the couple, who share four children, Denver, 2, Forrest, 7, Eric Jr., 10, and Vivianne, 11, knew their time with Jakey would end “sooner than later” because of his age, Jessie shared that the loss still feels overwhelming.
“Our hearts are shattered into pieces. I’m doing my best to focus on all the beautiful memories and moments we had together,” she wrote.
The mom of four went on to add that she and Eric are doing their best to stay strong for their children, though they are struggling with the loss as they find themselves “breaking into tears off and on.”
“The kids are being so strong, but this is not something we felt prepared for,” she wrote, adding that the family is also comforting their dog, Jenny, who has now lost a brother.
She ended the heartfelt post with a goodbye to her longtime companion, writing, “Jakey, we love you, and we’ll miss you every day for the rest of our lives. What a beautiful gift you were to us.”
