"Love you Ben": Kirk Herbstreit pens down emotional message for his dog Ben following his heartbreaking death
Kirk Herbstreit's golden retriever Ben was much more than a pet; he was the sportscaster's trusty partner for over ten years. Being a key member of the cast of College GameDay and a member of the Thursday Night Football announcing crew means that Herbstreit has a hectic life during the football season, with important stress peaks.
Kirk penned down a heartfelt message for his dog Ben sometime after his passing:
What happened to Kirk Herbstreit's dog Ben?
On Thursday, Kirk Herbstreit announced on Instagram that Ben had lost his almost year-long battle with cancer. He wrote the following caption on a publication that showed Ben riding shotgun alongside his owner on a golf cart:
“This is really hard to write but so many of you have loved and cared about Ben that I wanted to let you know. 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,”
Ben was 10 years old and had gotten cancer earlier in 2024. He was diagnosed with leukemia in March and underwent surgery in July. On Tuesday, the ESPN analyst announced that Ben had gotten a second treatment of chemotherapy in late October but that his condition was deteriorating.
Herbstreit also spoke about the unique relationship he had developed with his loyal retriever:
“I’ve had dogs my whole life but Ben was 1 on 1. He was smart-loving-gentle-patient-inquisitive-and welcoming to all. Always a big smile and a soft tail wag. He and I could communicate..he and I understood each other and had each others backs. He was with me more than anyone at home and traveling with me for work. Such an easy going companion. Hard day-but he will live within all of us forever.”
Ben was an instant media darling in 2023 when he started accompanying Herbstreit on the road. A semi-official tradition started with schools and NFL franchises handing out official credentials to Ben when he came to visit them.
Kirk Herbstreit was on call for Thursday Night's Football encounter between Baltimore and Cincinnati. He also admitted on social media that it was one of the most difficult things he had done.