It’s always hard to say goodbye to a beloved pet.
Jimmy Fallon, the host of The Tonight Show, is going through that right now. He, along with his wife, Nancy, and their two kids (Franny and Winnie) are mourning the loss of their family dog, Gary. She was a beautiful golden retriever that Fallon actually adopted after the dog was featured in a bit on his talk show.
The origin of the name “Gary Frick Jr.” was born during a portion of Fallon’s Late Night show. He remembers it being a bit where the female golden retriever was playing a political pundit named Gary, and that he was debating her. Fallon has also famously done “puppy predictions” on his Late Night and Tonight Show programs, and the name Gary Frick Jr. is always used during the puppy introductions.
The 51-year-old talk show host fell in love with the pup, and decided to welcome it into their family… and keep the unique name. Gary the golden retriever saw Fallon move from Late Night host to the Tonight Show, and also was there over the years to welcome in and help raise Jimmy and Nancy’s two children.
Fallon shared earlier today that Gary passed, and the emotional message that came along with the collection of Gary pictures and memories was the perfect encapsulation of how rewarding and heartbreaking owning a pet can be:
“She was the last name we signed on every birthday card. She was our first baby, a therapist, a pillow, a big sister, a schoolmarm, a comedian, a party girl and a rebel. Definitely not a watchdog – she would have let burglars in and shown them where we kept the bacon and American cheese slices.
Always smiling even when she slept. She loved a good scratch and would lean into you if she liked you, though ‘if’ is generous – she did this for basically everyone. She would jump into the pool immediately after being shampooed and dried (noooooo!) then she’d do her laps (backstroke – just kidding, doggie paddle) then lie in the grass on her back doing bunny kicks with her tongue sticking out. That meant summer to me.”
Fallon then went on to elaborate on the absence that the family feels in the home now that Gary is no longer there.
The last portion of the post is particularly devastating, and does a great job putting into words what every pet owner feels when their furry friend goes across the rainbow bridge. If the waterworks weren’t going already, prepare to find the tissues:
“13 and a half years we were lucky to have with you. Franny, Winnie, Mommy and I miss you. The house misses you. The house is so quiet. The quiet is so loud. But that quiet is slowly being filled with stories about you and laughter amongst the sniffles. Thank you for everything. Gosh, we miss you so much. Goodnight, Gary.”
Sheesh… the “the house is so quiet, the quiet is so loud” part really got me.
Everyone deserves to have that one dog, or pet, in their lives that changes it for the better. The worst part about having a pet is that they don’t last forever, but the time they do give you is worth more than anything in the world. RIP Gary… certainly the goodest girl with the name of a good boy that the world has ever seen, and a dog that the world got to see grow up and live its best life on TV.
