Jake Owen Mourns the Death of English Bulldog, Merle: ‘You Were My Dawg’
Jake Owen is bidding farewell to a cherished four-legged family member. On Sunday (Feb. 26), the singer told fans that he's mourning the loss of his dog Merle, and English bulldog who has been on the road with him for many years.
"Weird time for me these days," the singer reflects, alongside a montage of photos of Merle set to "Natural High" by the dog's namesake, Merle Haggard.
"Lost another best friend," Owen continues. "We shared almost 14 years together. He went more places than most people ever will, and slept thru most of it. He was with me thru the best of the best and worst moments of my life. Love ya Merle. You were my dawg."
The Merle-centric photo montage shows the dog relaxing, hanging out with Owen's kids and sitting by the singer's side as he strummed a guitar. In interviews, the country star described his dog as a fixture on his tour bus, and related that Merle slept for quite a bit of the day even as a young dog.
A renowned dog lover who frequently shares snapshots of his pack on social media, Owen suffered another devastating pet loss back in summer 2021 when his youngest German Shepherd, Slash, experienced a medical event and died unexpectedly. The singer is also "dog dad" to another Shepherd, Axel, whom he adopted in 2017.
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