Jennifer Garner is mourning the death of her dog Birdie

She said: "It is hard to know how to write this - it seems nuts, given the world, to mourn a pet, but since we have shared Birdie with all of you, it only seems fair to let you know of her passing."

Jennifer added in her post her family had started to notice signs last week things weren't right with Birdie when the "renowned foodie" who "never missed a meal" stopped eating.

They took her to the vet and the actress said they "were surprised to learn that, not only was she very ill, she was at the end of her life".

Jennifer added about how she was told Birdie hung on to say goodbye to her eldest daughter Violet, 18, before she passed away.

She said: "The vet told us that dogs often hang on until their person comes home from college. And we believe Birdie did just that, so that we could pet her soft ears together and thank her for being the world's best dog."

Jennifer added Birdie loved to read and in a carousel of images in tribute to her pet there was a video of her lounging on the sofa as the actress read William Steig's 'Pete's a Pizza' - with both of them wearing glasses in the shot.

The star concluded her tribute with the words: "She lived a happy dog life and is now in the role she was born to play: angel girl.

"It's a gift to love and be loved by such a creature as Birdie the Doggie. (Paw print emojis.)"