In a heartbreaking Instagram post, former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow shared ‘one of the toughest goodbyes’ he had to do in his life – bidding his dog Bronco farewell as he put him down Wednesday night.
There is nothing like the pain of losing a pet. Though they are speechless beings, the love and joy that they bring into our lives is immeasurable and irreplaceable. Our hearts break for them when they suffer, and when they are happy, we also share in their joy. Welcoming a pet in your life is a rewarding experience, but knowing that we live longer than they do is a fact that is difficult to accept.
Most probably, we will outlive our pets. That is why we should savor every moment that we get to spend with them, because time flies and before we know it, we have to bid them goodbye.
Tim Tebow, 32, recently experienced this with his dog of 9 years, Bronco. The former NFL athlete shared a heart-wrenching video to Instagram of him sitting on the floor with his best friend while feeding him a snack. Tebow couldn’t help but break down in tears knowing that he would have to put him down soon.
Along with the post, Tebow also shared a series of photos showing his time together with Bronco since he took him home as a puppy in 2010.
“One of the toughest goodbyes. Wanted to make a special tribute to the sweetest boy ever — thank you for all the joy you brought and all the memories,” he wrote.
He went on to thank the individuals who showed Bronco love. “Aunt Patty, thank you for loving him, and thank you to all the other people including Miss Shea and Miss Mindy for sharing so much love with Bronco. If you had the pleasure of meeting Bronco, one of the best dogs ever, I would love to hear your story,” he continued.
Tebow also expressed his gratitude to “SEVO-Med, Blue Pearl Vet and UF Small Animal Vet Hospital” who took care of Bronco when he was sick.
Bronco, a “stud” Rhodesian Ridgeback, was given as a gift to Tebow after he was selected 25th overall by the Denver Broncos.
“It made sense when I just got drafted by the Broncos,” he told AOL.com of his dog’s name. “We’ve always liked the name, we always liked that truck, so we talked about it and we were like, yeah, that’s really cool.”
Tebow has been a longtime dog lover and owner, even sneaking out of the house when he was younger to sleep with their dogs in his parents’ garage because they weren’t allowed inside. But when he got Bronco, it didn’t matter where his career took him – the “sweet and loving” dog was always by his side.
“For so many people, [dogs] are our best friends and they provide so much joy and love,” Tebow said.
In his updated post about losing Bronco and getting overwhelming support from his fans, Tebow wrote: “I am so thankful and humbled by everyone’s support, prayers and love. I was able to lay Bronco to rest in a really special place. Thank you all for so much encouragement. I love you Bronco, thanks for being the sweetest boy.”
We are sending our deepest sympathies to Tim Tebow at this very difficult time.
Below is the heart-tugging Instagram video clip of Tebow saying his final goodbye to his best friend of so many years. Rest well in puppy heaven, Bronco.
View this post on Instagram