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Anderson Cooper mourns death of his 'sweet dog,' Molly

The CNN host paid tribute to his beloved dog on Instagram.
/ Source: TODAY

CNN host Anderson Cooper is mourning the loss of his beloved dog, Molly.

The Welsh springer spaniel passed away Tuesday, according to Cooper.

He shared the news and an old photo of his "sweet dog" on Instagram that day.

Molly made multiple appearances on Cooper's Instagram account and on the news anchor's former talk show, "Anderson." When Molly first appeared on the set of the show in 2011, she may have been a bit startled by the studio audience's applause and bright lights, but wagged her tail and snuggled between knees until she steadied herself and licked Cooper's face.

In another appearance on the talk show, Molly was more relaxed in a in a residential setting as she palled around with comedian Kathy Griffin, with whom Cooper has hosted multiple New Year's Eve specials on CNN.

"Leave it to you to get the perfect dog," Griffin remarked.

Cooper appeared to agree. "She's very sweet," he said.

Describing himself as a "total dog person" in a behind-the-scenes "60 Minutes" video for a segment that first aired in 2014, Cooper claimed Molly was adorably manipulative. "I think she's still working me a little bit," he said. "I mean, she'll sit on my bed, and as long as I'm rubbing her, she'll lay next to me, and as soon as I stop rubbing her, she'll jump off the bed, lay on the floor and sleep by herself."

He also reflected on the powerful relationship between canines and their owners. "The most interesting thing that [dog researcher] Brian Hare said to me that really stuck with me was, 'When dogs are looking at you, they're hugging you with their eyes,'" he said.

Cooper added that he took that lesson home with him and applied it to Molly.

"She doesn't look at me nearly enough," he said with a laugh.

Follow TODAY.com writer Chris Serico on Twitter.