Miranda Lambert mourns the loss of her dog, Jessi, in an emotional social media tribute

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getty_mirandalambert_073021

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Miranda Lambert’s beloved senior dog, Jessi, has crossed the rainbow bridge after 13 and a half years of companionship. 

The singer shared a tribute to her four-legged friend on social media this week, along with a slideshow of pictures of Jessi and the dog’s brother, Waylon, who died in the fall of 2020.

Miranda found the two pups on the side of the road in Oklahoma back in 2008, in the middle of a sleet storm. The singer explains that she and her mom — who were driving together when they encountered the siblings — were listening to Jessie Colter’s I’m Jessi Colter album at the time, which is how the two puppies got their names.  Colter, of course, was Waylon’s wife from 1969 until his death in 2002.

Up until canine Waylon’s death, Miranda continues, the two dogs had been inseparable their whole lives.

“…The truth is they belong together. They always have,” she writes. “I know she missed him terribly and we are so thankful to have had extra time. Today they are reunited at the rainbow bridge.”

Waylon and Jessi were two of the many dogs and other animals that call Miranda’s farm home. The singer and her mom also established their MuttNation Foundation in 2009 in support of shelter pets.

“I can’t put into words what a dog’s love does to your heart. But if you have one, you already know,” Miranda says in the conclusion of her tribute post. “…It’s so hard to let them go but the love is worth it.”

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