© Provided by People
Mandy Moore/INstagram; Frazer Harrison/Getty
Mandy Moore is keeping her late dog’s memory alive.
For National Dog Day on Thursday, the This Is Us star, 37, paid tribute to her late pup Joni, who died unexpectedly on Nov. 30 while she was pregnant with her son August “Gus” Harrison, who was born Feb. 20.
“Happy #NationalDogDay. Missing this lady today and every day,” Moore wrote over a throwback photo of Joni on her Instagram Story.
In another slide, Moore showed her 6-month-old baby boy happily smiling in a white onesie as he snuggled with a stuffed replica of her late dog, which husband Taylor Goldsmith gifted to her over the 2020 holidays. She wrote with the picture: “Gus and Joni,” adding a crying emoji.
Moore unveiled the replica in January, writing on Instagram, “This was by far my fav gift over the holidays- something that @taylordawesgoldsmith had made. It’s a little stuffed animal version of my beloved Joni so that our son will still know her, even though they never got to meet.”
© Mandy Moore/INstagram; Frazer Harrison/Getty
When Mandy Moore’s husband Taylor Goldsmith gifted her the stuffed replica of the dog, she said she intended to keep it so their baby boy “will still know” Joni
Want to get the biggest stories from PEOPLE every weekday? Subscribe to our new podcast, PEOPLE Every Day, to get the essential celebrity, entertainment and human interest news stories Monday through Friday.
RELATED: Mandy Moore Admits First Solo Parenting Experience Was ‘Overwhelming’ but Son Gus Is the ‘Best’
On Dec. 1, Moore shared the heartbreaking news on Instagram that her dog, named after Joni Mitchell, died unexpectedly the night before.
“Yes, she was almost 13. Yes, she had pretty major surgery a week ago to remove a mass on her liver but she was recovering really well,” the actress said at the time. “Until last night.”
Moore, who rescued Joni back in 2008 at the Barking Lot, a non-profit shelter in San Diego, said in her tribute post that her “heart is utterly shattered” in the wake of the pet’s death. “She was my first love and best friend. Through every twist and turn of life of this past decade and change, she was right there.”
RELATED VIDEO: Mandy Moore Recalls ‘Harrowing’ Birth of Newborn Son Gus: My Plans ‘Went Out the Window’
“She was the boss and a total mama’s girl,” she added of Joni. “I’m so sad she won’t get the chance to meet her human brother soon but maybe she wasn’t ready to share. Or be a suction cup right by my side every night.”
She concluded her post, “I will love and miss you forever, my Joni. Thank you for beyond a lifetime of love.”
Moore recently celebrated six months of motherhood, writing on Instagram, “6 months with the happiest, sweetest guy and the most indescribable, unconditional love. We are the luckiest and love you so much, Gus!!”
