Serena Williams marks ‘end of an era’ as she mourns the death of her beloved dog Lauerlei

metro.co.uk:

Serena Williams has shared a heart-warming tribute to her dog, Lauerlei, after she passed away on Saturday. The seven-time Wimbledon champion revealed that her ‘toughest little pup’ had taken her last breaths and she will ‘miss her… so much’ after 18 years together.

The devastated 40-year-old shared sweet snaps of her late Maltese dog cosied up on the sofa as she shared the sad news with her 15.2 million followers on Instagram.Lauerlei was also pictured with her other dogs a Jack Russell called Jackie (after Mariah Carey’s dog) and a Yorkshire terrier, Christopher Chip Rafael Nadal, named after her fellow tennis player and friend.

In a heartfelt caption, Serena penned: ‘Lauerlei sadly took her last breath yesterday. I am sad but happy for all the time and all the extra I got to spend with her. ‘She lived a long long life.

The last year and a half was a bonus. She got to get anything she ever wanted and she was biting toes till the end. Literally. ‘She LOVED chicken and acrobatics.