Kirk Herbstreit announces death of beloved service dog Ben
ESPN football analyst and sportscaster Kirk Herbstreit took to social media on Nov. 7 to share some heartbreaking news about his beloved service dog, Ben.
“We found out today the cancer had spread throughout Ben’s organs and there was nothing left we could do-we had to let him go,” he wrote in an emotional tribute on Instagram.
While it was hard for him to write, Herbstreit wanted to share the news because he knew how much his followers “loved and cared about Ben.”
He went on to describe Ben as a “smart-loving-gentle-patient-inquisitive-and welcoming to all” dog that was always quick with a smile and a tail wag.
“He and I could communicate.. he and I understood each other and had each others backs,” he continued in the tribute. “He was with me more than anyone at home and traveling with me for work.”
As for having to say goodbye to a decade-long friend, Herbstreit called it a “hard day.”
“But he will live within all of us forever. God please bless his majestic soul and thank you for putting him in my life for the last 10 years,” he concluded, calling the past decade a true blessing.
Ben became an online sensation last year when he started accompanying Herbstreit as he traveled across the country for work during the football season.
Herbstreit is an analyst for ESPN’s “College GameDay,” as well as a color commentator for Prime Video’s weekly broadcast of “Thursday Night Football.”
It was also around that time that Herbstreit revealed that Ben was “officially an ESA,” which stands for “emotional support animal.”
Earlier this year, Herbstreit explained the primary reason why he started bringing his dog with him on road trips.
“I just wanted a companion out on the road with me, as much as I travel, and he’s my really good buddy,” he said in a Jan. 6 TikTok video, posted by ESPN.
He clarified that Ben was the first dog to ever wear a media credential at the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1. Instead of a reporter, they dubbed him the “Chief Happiness Officer.”
Herbstreit’s heartbreaking post on Nov. 7 came just a few days after he warned his followers that Ben’s health was growing “worse and worse” ever since receiving his second chemo injection on Oct. 23.
“He has lost use of his back legs-almost like they’re paralyzed. He can barely walk. He hasn’t eaten in 3 days,” Herbstreit shared at the time.
Ben was diagnosed with leukemia and lymphoma in March, according to NBC 5.
