'The Bachelorette' 's Shawn Booth Reveals His Beloved Dog Tucker Has Died: 'I Lost My Best Friend'

Shawn Booth's ex, Kaitlyn Bristowe, offered her condolences on Instagram, writing, "I'm so sorry. This one hurts"

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Published on April 17, 2020 09:13AM EDT

Shawn Booth is mourning the loss of his “best friend,” his dog Tucker. He was 11 years old.

The former Bachelorette contestant, 32, shared the sad news that Tucker had died on Instagram Thursday night, alongside a professional shot of the duo in which Booth embraced his pooch pal.

“With the heaviest heart I’ve ever had, I wanted to let you guys know that I lost my best friend today,” Booth began his heartbreaking caption. “Tucker passed peacefully in my arms and in the comfort of our backyard.”

“I poured every ounce of my heart into him and he gave me his entire heart right back,” he continued. “I’ve never loved anything more and he was the best boy I could ever ask for. I was the luckiest person in the world to have him by my side for 11+ years. I already miss him so much.”

Booth ended his touching tribute with a quote addressing the golden retriever that read, ” ‘If love could have saved you, you would have lived forever,’ ” and shared an image of himself holding Tucker’s paw to his Instagram Story.

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Various members of Bachelor Nation offered their condolences to Booth in the comments section — including his ex-fiancée, Kaitlyn Bristowe, to whom he got engaged during the show’s 11th season. (They announced their split exclusively to PEOPLE in November 2018, after more than three years together.)

“I’m so sorry. This one hurts. You gave [Tucker] a great life,” she wrote alongside a red broken heart emoji.

Becca Tilley, Ashley Iaconetti, Ben Higgins, DeAnna Pappas Stagliano and many more also chimed in, with Iaconetti, 32, writing, “I’m so sorry. You gave Tuck the best life a doggie could live and we all fell in love with him from afar. I’m so heartbroken for you.”

“I am so sorry man, I remember so many great talks about how much he meant to you,” said Higgins, 31.

RELATED VIDEO: Kaitlyn & Shawn … and Tucker

Booth got Tucker as a puppy after graduating from college, and the pair had been inseparable ever since. Booth even signed the cute canine up for his own Instagram account, which has more than 60,000 followers.

Following her split from Booth, Bristowe, 34, wished Tucker a happy birthday on Instagram, writing in December 2018, “You will live forever in my heart noodle.”

The former Bachelorette had not seen Tucker, nicknamed “Doodle,” since she split with Booth that fall, and previously admitted that one of the hardest parts of the breakup was saying goodbye to the dog.

“I think I’ve been grieving this for a while,” the former reality star said on her podcast, Off the Vine With Kaitlyn Bristowe, in November 2018. “And knowing that Tucker isn’t in my home anymore. … Sometimes I feel like he was almost the glue to our relationship. I clearly love that dog so much, but I will still see him.”