Honestly, the statement that “a dog is a man’s best friend” will stand the test of time. See, Kristen Saban has always been that one good, fun-loving part of the Saban family. It has been what? A week or something when we spotted her “stealing” Nick Saban‘s birthday gift. See, Nick had gotten a Nittany Lions onesie as a gift, and we even spotted him wearing it during one of the episodes of College GameDay. Kristen Saban was quick to take that outfit away from her dad and keep it for herself. “If you were wondering where Nick’s gameday birthday gift went, I have it,” Kristen mentioned. Now, to watch this funny and quirky personality go through such turmoil in life is something no fan would want to see.

Just an hour back, Kristen Saban took to her Instagram to share some devastating news. “I had to say goodbye to my first baby yesterday after 14 years of the most magical companionship,” Kristen wrote in the caption of her post. Gunnies her pet dog recently passed away, and it breaks our heart to see such a cute fur baby leave. “I couldn’t have asked for a better pup. I’ll miss you forever, Gunnies,” Kristen noted.

What we do know is that Gunnies is definitely in a much better spot now. See, Kristen has always been someone who has been fascinated with dogs. Before Bama went up against the Dawgs in one of the most suspenseful rivalry games ever, Kristen took to her Instagram to share a cute snap.

See, the game didn’t bother her at all because she was busy with Ben. Now, if you are a CFB fan and you don’t know Ben, then what are you even doing? Kirk Herbstreit’s pet dog is arguably one of the most famous dogs in the world of college football.

This fella has followed Kirk almost everywhere. On every single road trip to all the different on-field appearances while Kirk is out there taking an interview or something. Ben is and always will be the “It” factor of college football. However, this does bring us to a more “sad” part of the Ben-Kirk Herbstreit run.

Losing the best in the game: Ben Herbstreit

What makes Ben’s story so heartbreaking is his entire dealing with cancer. Ben was diagnosed with leukemia in early 2024, and things were never the same for Kirk and the fans of the Labrador Retriever. “I’ve had so many people asking me about Ben that I wanted to let you know Ben had a 2nd chemo injection,” Kirk had mentioned while talking about Ben’s situation and how he has been doing.

While everyone had thought that things would eventually get better, we got the update on November 8th that Ben had passed away. Kristen herself had taken to her Instagram account to share a snap of her with Ben along with the caption; “Rest easy, good boy.” 

Kirk had mentioned beforehand that Ben’s condition had gotten a lot worse over the months. Because of the chemo, Ben had contracted an infection which had caused both of his back legs to become paralyzed. This, paired with the fact that the cancer had managed to spread to almost every single organ, made every day painful for Ben. We know that both Gunnies and Ben are in a way better place right now.