Gretchen Rossi had to say goodbye to one of her beloved dogs, Vito, who passed away Monday night.
The 41-year-old former Real Housewives of Orange County star took to Instagram to share the sad news with fans in a lengthy and emotional post.
Rossi also revealed in the message that one of her other pups, Rocco, had passed away two years prior but it was ‘too painful’ for her to talk about until now.
Heartbroken: Gretchen Rossi took to Instagram to share that her beloved dog Vito passed away in a lengthy and emotional post on Monday night
‘Tonight we lost one of our family members,’ she penned.
Gretchen said that her dog Vito (or Vito-man as she called him) died just before he was set to turn 18-years-old.
‘This little boy of mine has been with me for almost half of my life, so this loss is very hard on me,’ the grieving dog mom said.
Adding: ‘He has been with me through some of the hardest times of my life and some of the most amazing times of my life.’
‘Tonight we lost one of our family members,’ she penned. ‘This little boy of mine has been with me for almost half of my life, so this loss is very hard on me’
Rainbow bridge: Rossi penned a long and emotional message about the loss of her beloved dog and shared a handful of sweet photos with the pup, including her last shots with him
The reality star explained that she also turned to her four-legged friend during tough times like her divorce, during her late fiance Jeff Beitzel’s cancer battle and on the Housewives.
‘It was such a blessing to have him around during my pregnancy and for the arrival of Skylar! Sky just loved him so much, and he loved her,’ she told her followers.
Along with the message, Rossi posted a handful of photos of Vito and her other dogs, including two black and white images of her kissing his face as he passed away.
Rossi also took the opportunity during the post to tell fans that she lost one of her other three dogs several years prior.
Loss: Rossi also revealed in the message that one of her other pups, Rocco, had passed away two years prior but it was ‘too painful’ for her to talk about until now
Best friend: The reality star explained that she also turned to her four-legged friend during tough times like her divorce, during her late fiance Jeff Beitzel’s cancer battle and on the Housewives
She wrote: ‘Sadly my Rocco-Bear passed away 2yrs ago & it was so painful I could not even talk about it on here. But today I decided I was going to share, because these dogs were my first babies & I want to honor who they were in my life and how much they meant to me!’
‘Vito was my spirit animal, he had such a fun and quirky personality,’ Gretchen said.
Adding: ‘Vito, a huge hole has been left in our hearts, but I know I will see you again on Rainbow bridge & I’m so glad you get to be reunited with your brother Rocco-Bear there.
‘We love you so very much and will miss you terribly. Rest in Peace my sweet Vito-Man.’
‘It was such a blessing to have him around during my pregnancy and for the arrival of Skylar! Sky just loved him so much, and he loved her,’ she told her followers.
‘Vito was my spirit animal, he had such a fun and quirky personality,’ Gretchen said.
‘Vito, a huge hole has been left in our hearts, but I know I will see you again on Rainbow bridge & I’m so glad you get to be reunited with your brother Rocco-Bear there. We love you so very much and will miss you terribly. Rest in Peace my sweet Vito-Man.’
Many of Gretchen’s 886K Instagram followers shared support and love for the former Bravo star in the comments section.
RHOC fans will remember Rossi’s three dogs from her years on the series. The blonde beauty joined the series in season four and then left after season eight.
The new season of the original Housewives franchise is currently filming during the coronavirus pandemic and will reportedly continue to shoot despite the fact that castmate Shannon Beador has tested positive for COVID-19.
On screen: Gretchen was a cast member of the Real Housewives of Orange County from seasons four to eight and her dogs, Rocco, Vito and Remi were frequently filmed for the series (Rossi pictured in 2019)
Bravo is continuing production on season 15 without Beador because they feel there is a low chance anyone would get sick, according to TMZ.
Shannon Beador revealed that she and her three daughters Stella, Sophie, and Adeline have tested positive for the novel coronavirus last Friday.
When production on the show first started up again a few weeks ago, RHOC ladies Braunwyn Windham-Burke, Kelly Dodd, Gina Kirschenheiter, Emily Simpson and newbie Elizabeth Vargas took a trip to Lake Arrowhead, without Beador.
The show must go on: The new season of the original Housewives franchise is currently filming during the coronavirus pandemic and will reportedly continue to shoot despite the fact that castmate Shannon Beador has tested positive for COVID-19 (Beador pictured in January)
Since they weren’t exposed to her, the production crew is confident they can go ahead safely.
They’re still putting pretty strong precautions in place, requiring temperature checks, avoiding filming in crowds and having the crew members wear masks on set. This same approach is being used for Real Housewives Of Atlanta.
While she recovers Shannon will be filming on her phone.
Confident: Since they weren’t exposed to her, the Bravo production crew is confident they can go ahead safely with the rest of the cast while Beador films on her phone