Reese Witherspoon Mourns Death of Her Beloved Dog Hank: ‘We Will Miss Your Sweet Spirit’

Mar. 15, 2025

Reese Witherspoon and her beloved dog Hank.Photo:Steve Granitz/FilmMagic; reese witherspoon/instagram

Steve Granitz/FilmMagic; reese witherspoon/instagram

Reese Witherspoonis mourning the loss of a beloved family member.On Tuesday, Aug. 6, theLegally Blondestar, 48, revealed her Labrador Hank had died, sharing a photo of the late pup, who had been part of her family for over 14 years, on herInstagram Stories.“We will miss your sweet spirit, Hank,” theproud dog momwrote alongside a picture of Hank in front of a Welcome mat outside a black door.“Thank you for being the best family pet and the pack leader,” she added alongside a pink heart and a dove emoji.Witherspoon’s daughterAva Phillippe, 24, also shared a shot of Hank onInstagram, writing, “14 ½ years of pure love & constant tail wagging. The job was ‘family pet’ & he excelled at it. Thanks Hanky for reminding us that every day is the best day ever. 🤍"Phillippe also added a sweet selfie on herInstagram Stories, simply posting a white heart emoji alongside a snap of her cuddling up to Hank with her eyes closed.Animal lover Witherspoon regularly posts about her pets onInstagram. Back in May 2020, she appeared to be teaching her pups Hank and Lou the art of self-discipline as sheshared a snap of the trio on her yoga mat.Reese Witherspoon shares a tribute to her dog Hank.reese witherspoon/instagramIn the shot, Witherspoon sat crosslegged with her hands held in front of her chest and her eyes closed, while the two dogs stared at her.“I call this #treatpose.🧘‍♀️,” theBig Little Liesstar captioned the post at the time.Hank’s death comes almost four years after Witherspoonmourned the death of her French bulldog PepperonInstagramin Oct. 2020.Sharing a snap of the pup at the time, the producer captioned the post, “Our sweet Pepper passed away yesterday. My goodness, she was such a loyal and devoted family member.““I am so heart broken, but I am also deeply grateful for all the love and comfort she brought our family. Now she’s in dog heaven where all great pets go. Chasing tennis balls, running through open fields of wild flowers and being the Queen that she is. That’s what I believe. 🎾🌸 👑 We will always love you, Pepper,” she added.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Reese Witherspoon with Hank.ava phillippe/instagramWitherspoon’s daughterPhillippethen paid tributeto the pup, writing onInstagramthat she died “from an aggressive cancer,” sharing some fond memories of their time with the dog.“She enjoyed playing in the yard with our Labrador, Hank, and would make everyone laugh with her surprisingly speedy ‘zoomies’ around the house. She also had a unique way of expressing herself with funny little noises that sounded like they were from some sort of pigeon,” her caption included.Three weeks after Pepper’s death, Witherspoon introduced fans to hernew French bulldog puppy Minnie Pearl.“Introducing Minnie Pearl. Welcome to the family little one ❤️,” Witherspoon, who is also dog mom toLabrador Major, wrote on Instagram on Nov. 9, 2020.

Reese Witherspoonis mourning the loss of a beloved family member.

On Tuesday, Aug. 6, theLegally Blondestar, 48, revealed her Labrador Hank had died, sharing a photo of the late pup, who had been part of her family for over 14 years, on herInstagram Stories.

“We will miss your sweet spirit, Hank,” theproud dog momwrote alongside a picture of Hank in front of a Welcome mat outside a black door.

“Thank you for being the best family pet and the pack leader,” she added alongside a pink heart and a dove emoji.

Witherspoon’s daughterAva Phillippe, 24, also shared a shot of Hank onInstagram, writing, “14 ½ years of pure love & constant tail wagging. The job was ‘family pet’ & he excelled at it. Thanks Hanky for reminding us that every day is the best day ever. 🤍”

Phillippe also added a sweet selfie on herInstagram Stories, simply posting a white heart emoji alongside a snap of her cuddling up to Hank with her eyes closed.

Animal lover Witherspoon regularly posts about her pets onInstagram. Back in May 2020, she appeared to be teaching her pups Hank and Lou the art of self-discipline as sheshared a snap of the trio on her yoga mat.

Reese Witherspoon shares a tribute to her dog Hank.reese witherspoon/instagram

reese witherspoon/instagram

In the shot, Witherspoon sat crosslegged with her hands held in front of her chest and her eyes closed, while the two dogs stared at her.

“I call this #treatpose.🧘‍♀️,” theBig Little Liesstar captioned the post at the time.

Hank’s death comes almost four years after Witherspoonmourned the death of her French bulldog PepperonInstagramin Oct. 2020.

Sharing a snap of the pup at the time, the producer captioned the post, “Our sweet Pepper passed away yesterday. My goodness, she was such a loyal and devoted family member.”

“I am so heart broken, but I am also deeply grateful for all the love and comfort she brought our family. Now she’s in dog heaven where all great pets go. Chasing tennis balls, running through open fields of wild flowers and being the Queen that she is. That’s what I believe. 🎾🌸 👑 We will always love you, Pepper,” she added.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Reese Witherspoon with Hank.ava phillippe/instagram

ava phillippe/instagram

Witherspoon’s daughterPhillippethen paid tributeto the pup, writing onInstagramthat she died “from an aggressive cancer,” sharing some fond memories of their time with the dog.

“She enjoyed playing in the yard with our Labrador, Hank, and would make everyone laugh with her surprisingly speedy ‘zoomies’ around the house. She also had a unique way of expressing herself with funny little noises that sounded like they were from some sort of pigeon,” her caption included.

Three weeks after Pepper’s death, Witherspoon introduced fans to hernew French bulldog puppy Minnie Pearl.

“Introducing Minnie Pearl. Welcome to the family little one ❤️,” Witherspoon, who is also dog mom toLabrador Major, wrote on Instagram on Nov. 9, 2020.

source: people.com