Chrissy Teigen has shared her grief over the loss of her beloved family dog Penny

In a post on Instagram, she wrote: "Our beautiful little tripod queen, penny, passed on peacefully in her sleep today.

"Born the same day John and I got married, 11 years ago, she was there for us for every baby, every loss, every joy.

"She loved nothing more than being loved, having her nub rubbed and destroying any ball she could get her paw on, even til her last weeks."

She went on to add: "Never forget that while every pup is just a few chapters in your long life, for them you are their entire book, their entire lives.

"Oh penny. We were so beyond lucky to have you. Say hi to Puddy and Pippa for us. You are all together again."

Legend commented on the post: "I loved this girl. We will miss you, Penny."

The tragedy comes just weeks after the family was forced to evacuate their home in Beverly Hills due to the wildfires which raged across southern California.

The couple - who are parents to Luna, eight, Miles, six, Esti, two, and 19-month-old Wren - fled their mansion and decamped to a hotel along with all their pets, including their bearded dragon Sebastian.

Chrissy updated fans on Instagram to tell them they were safe, writing: "4 dogs, 4 kids and a bearded dragon walk into a hotel."

Chrissy later added in a video: "Don't worry, Sebastian made it. We would never forget Sebastian, how dare you guys? He is with us."

The family's home survived the fire and they were able to return in time for Esti's birthday.