Kate Gosselin’s Christmas holiday has been shadowed by the loss of her much-loved dog Nanuq, who died suddenly on December 19.
The heartbroken star of Jon & Kate Plus 8, 50, took to Instagram to share the sad news about her light-colored German shepherd, whose name means ‘polar bear’ among the Arctic peoples.
‘We suffered an unimaginable loss on Friday night,’ Gosselin wrote alongside a photo of her beloved pooch, whom she adoringly nicknamed ‘Nuq’ and ‘NuNu.’
‘My soul girl, the rest of me passed away quickly in the car on our way home for Christmas. I am taking a break from tik tok because I am hurting so deeply. But I know you guys loved her too so I needed to let you know.’
She continued: ‘I will spend the rest of my life missing you NuNu. Life will never be the same. I loved you more than life itself. I’m so sorry I couldn’t save you.’
The loss of her canine companion – which happened just days after doctors gave her the all-clear to slowly begin walking again after harrowing leg surgery – was unexpected.
Kate Gosselin’s Christmas holiday has been shadowed by the loss of her much-loved dog Nanuq, who died suddenly on December 19
The loss of Gosselin’s dog comes just days after she was given the go-ahead to slowly start walking again after agonizing leg surgery
‘One minute she was here and healthy. The next, she was gone,’ the mom-of-eight revealed.
‘Her last gift to me was when she got into the truck to leave, she poked her head forward to where I was sitting in the passenger seat and licked my left cheek, twice.
‘I’m trying to replace the traumatic memories and things I can never unsee with that memory. My sweet girl kissing me, saying thank you for taking me on a ‘long bye bye,’ which was her favorite thing in the world. Then, a little over 3 hours later, she was gone. I will never understand it. When I can, I’ll talk about details. For now, I cannot.’
Gosselin also has a black German shepherd named Meika, who has been getting a lot of love and hugs in the wake of Nunoq’s passing.
On Friday, December 26, Gosselin shared on TikTok that she tried to make Meika’s first Christmas with the family ‘fun’ and ‘toy-filled’ despite her heavy heart.
‘She had a great day and got tons of presents from everyone. She is helping to heal the kids hearts,’ wrote Gosselin, who admitted, ‘I just miss my girl SO much. It’s like a part of me is missing.’
She added: ‘However, we pulled it together so Meika would have a fun toy filled first Christmas. Her loving self is helping to heal hearts around here. And I’m thankful for that. She is also missing Nuq and has times of sadness but her human brothers and sister are helping her with that too.’
The Kate Plus Date alum previously told her TikTok followers that she was taking her dogs home to North Carolina ‘so that I can see my kids and do Christmas with them.’ She intended to stay in her adopted home state until February.
The TV personality shared that her life will never be the same after Nanuq’s passing
Gosselin often posted photos of her fur babies on social media and they were very much a part of her already large brood of eight
The reality star shared her long journey from leg injury and recovery to baby steps with her social media followers last weekend
Gosselin has been undergoing physical therapy and special exercises to strength the muscles of her leg
The mom-of-eight shared a photo of her skinny weak leg that’s going to need a lot of work to get back in tip-top shape
Gosselin’s leg injury occurred after one of her dogs collided into her during a game of fetch with her bodyguard-turned-boyfriend Steve Nield; the pair are pictured in 2010 in New York City
Gosselin has eight kids with ex-husband Jon Gosselin: 25-year-old twins Mady and Cara, and 21-year-old sextuplets Aaden, Joel, Alexis, Hannah, Collin and Leah.
The tragedy of Nanuq’s passing comes just days after Gosselin got the go-ahead from her doctor to carefully begin walking again following an agonizing leg injury and subsequent surgery in September.
Last weekend, she posted video of herself slowly making her way towards an elevator with the assistance of crutches after her doctor’s appointment.
The video began with Gosselin declaring: ‘It’s walking day! It finally came. I’m so excited I can’t even stand it.’
‘I have to start at 25 percent, and then 50 percent, 75 percent, 100 percent,’ she said. ‘So you won’t see me really walking immediately, but I’m excited.’
She also shared a look at her ‘skinny, little girl leg’ after she removed her brace and explained how she wants to begin exercising and ‘building muscle’ again.
Gosselin injured her leg after her dog Meika accidentally ran into her leg during a game of fetch, per New York Daily News.
In September, she revealed she was hospitalized with a tibial plateau fracture due to her dog colliding into her leg at ‘full speed.’
Gosselin posted a snap of herself in the shower giving the thumbs up and not long after this she suffered tremendous heartbreak with her dog Nanuq’s sudden death
Gosselin shares 25-year-old twins Mady and Cara, and 21-year-old sextuplets Aaden, Joel, Alexis, Hannah, Collin and Leah her ex Jon Gosselin; she and her ex are pictured in 2009 in New York City
‘My boyfriend [Steve Neild] threw the ball and she came running for it and she was running at the absolute speed of light and I stepped the wrong way,’ she previously explained during a TikTok livestream, per People.
‘The only way I can describe it, it was like a concrete wall running at the speed of light,’ she said while explaining how much force was in their collision.
She later had to undergo a three-hour ‘life-altering’ surgery, and she recalled how the recovery left her on bed rest for the first time in two decades.
Gosselin compared the long recovery journey to her experience being pregnant and giving birth to sextuplets.
