Sometimes, a man’s pet can be his best friend. Losing that best friend is always tough and painful. And NFL announcer Kirk Herbstreit is surely feeling that pain following the tragic demise of Ben Herbstreit, his pet golden retriever.

Earlier in the evening on Thursday, Herbstreit shared a heartbreaking story about Ben during last year’s Bengals clash against the Ravens in Baltimore. He posted a video of Ben on X (previously known as Twitter). Accompanied by the video, he wrote, “Almost 1 year ago in the same city the same hotel in the EXACT SAME room the same matchup Cincy at Baltimore-I posted this video of Ben showing me where our hotel room was-this is classic Ben with the tail, the smile, & the excitement to show me he knows where the room is!”.

Ben was suffering from cancer, which as per the announcer had spread to all of his organs and there wasn’t much to do other than let him go and find peace. Since the news of Ben passing away, Kirk has received multiple phone calls from his loved ones showing their love and support towards the announcer and his family in this tough time of their lives.

The announcer mentioned in one of his earlier posts that although he has had dogs all his life, “Ben was 1 on 1”. And surely Kirk will miss their special bond now that he is gone.

Nick Saban’s daughter Kristen shares heartfelt message following Ben Herbstreit’s death

The death of “America’s favorite dog” Ben Herbstreit hasn’t just left his partner Kirk in shock but has also broken other hearts as well. Many took out some time from their lives to share their deepest condolences to the Herbstreits. One of them was famous college football commentator or and former coach Nick Saban’s daughter Kristen.

Kristen shared a picture of her along with Ben on her IG story. She wrote a heart-touching caption along with the picture that read, “Rest Easy, good boy Ben. America’s favorite Game-Day Dog. Praying for you and your family.”

Kirk revealed about Ben’s illness July, where he also mentioned that they would go for the chemotherapy. However, last Monday, Kirk announced that Ben is unable to walk after his health deteriorated following the second chemo.

What’s gone is gone and can never comeback. All we can do is to keep them alive in our memories and honor their wishes. We share our deepest sympathies for the family and hope that Kirk gets over this personal loss soon, “Gone not forgotten, RIP Ben Herbstreit”.