Kaley Cuoco has sparked backlash on social media after sharing why she made the “excruciating decision” to rehome her dog.
The 38-year-old, who is best known for starring as Penny in The Big Bang Theory, took to Instagram on Monday (November 25) to open up about her dog Shirley, who recently died of cancer.
“Most of you know I had [Shirley] for many, many, many years,” Cuoco said in the Instagram Reel. “All of a sudden, you kind of stopped seeing her, and I started to get a lot of questions as to where she was because it’s very unlike me to just stop posting about a dog that I’ve had since she was six weeks old.”
She continued to praise the puppy, saying: “Long story short, she’s a very special dog to me, as you all know.”
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The Flight Attendant star explained that Shirley was not able to get along with her fiancé Tom Pelphrey’s pooch.
“And when the love of my life came into my life, Tom, who is also a mega dog lover, and he moved across the country with his beautiful German Shepherd, Blue, a couple years ago, unfortunately, Blue and Shirley started getting into some mega fights,” she explained.
She revealed that the fights were “scary” to the point where Shirley appeared “determined to kill Blue” and would fight with most dogs except for her other dog Norman.
Although the late Shirley was violent around other dogs, she loved being around people. However, the actress was terrified that another animal would be hurt, which is why she made the “difficult decision” to rehome Shirley as she could no longer live with her and Pelphrey.
“I loved her so much, but I was really scared,” Cuoco said. “I didn’t want something really bad to happen or possibly a person accidentally be there and get hurt.”
The star, who is known for being a huge advocate for rescued animals, clarified that she wanted to make sure her pooch was placed in the right home.
“I didn’t want her to end up in a home that didn’t understand her because she is so special and I’ve had her for so long,” she said.
Thankfully, Cuoco’s pet handler, Tony, and his wife offered to take in Shirley and they kept her until she sadly died.
“They have loved her so so much, and it was an excruciating decision,” she shared, adding that her late dog had “a very aggressive bone cancer that came on very quickly.”
“She was almost 14 years old, which is an unbelievable life for a dog,” she continued. “And I just wanted to share her story and what we had to do. She had an amazing life with us and an amazing last four years with Tony and Angie. I am devastated that she has gone over the rainbow bridge.”
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Following her confession, the actress, who shares 19-month-old daughter Matilda with Pelphrey, was criticized by fans who were unhappy with her decision.
“Rehoming a pet you’ve had for that long is honestly very cruel IMO,” one user on X slammed, while another blasted: “Oh, poor Kaley Cuoco and her ‘excruciating decision’ to rehome her dog. Maybe she should consider rehoming her fiancé’s pet instead since it seems to be causing all the drama. Sounds like a real-life soap opera playing out in her household!”
A third added: “Owning a dog is a commitment to love, care & provide a safe & loving home NO MATTER WHAT. Not as long as it suits.”
Last year, the Charmed actress launched her own pet product business, Oh Norman! which is named after one of her late dogs, who she adopted when he was two.
A statement on the official website reads: “We love pets. We love our pets. We love your pets. And we believe pets deserve the best. Our mission is to make joyful, cutting-edge products that improve the lives of the animals we love.”
Cuoco told The Los Angeles Times in 2017 that she wanted her dog Norman, who actually had a broken leg when she adopted him, to “be in my life”.
She often called Norman “my main man” and noted that he saved her “in more ways than I can explain”.
