The former couple was married from 2014 to 2018 and have an 8-year-old son, Josey.
Ryan Dorsey is bidding a heartfelt goodbye to his beloved pet. The 40-year-old actor announced the death of his dog, Emmy, on Monday, offering a touching tribute to the pup that he previously shared with his late ex, Glee star Naya Rivera.
Dorsey revealed the news with an Instagram reel set to beloved version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole.
"Josey and I came home from opening day for baseball and came to find Emmy at her final resting place, on the bathroom floor laid up next to her older sister, Lucy," he wrote in a caption. "Her heart beat all it could and she lived a good life. She would’ve been 10 this summer…It’s been a tough weekend."
He continued, "Oh my sweet sweet babygirl, Emmy. I remember the day we picked you up. We drove just north of San Diego to meet you. You were the runt of the litter. The last one left. You already had the name of an award so we didn't even change it. Emmy you were. Aka Emmington Brown aka Sweet Baby Emmers… I remember your real mommy following us to the door as I carried you out in my arms alongside your new mommy."
Dorsey and Rivera were married from 2014 to 2018. They share a son, Josey, now 8.
Rivera went missing in July 2020 following a boat ride with her then-4-year-old child on California's Lake Piru. Her body was recovered five days later. The Ventura County Sheriff's Department said Rivera's final moments were heroic as she helped her son to safety.
Now, Dorsey appears to be taking comfort in knowing that Emmy will be cared for by Rivera on the other side of the rainbow bridge.
"Keep mommy company and we’ll see you on the other side of the 🌈. We ❤️you," he wrote.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Dorsey praised the late canine as "the sweetest and most quiet dog" and his "emotional support animal."
"I would take you to set with me and people would barely know you were in the trailer," he recalled. "They'd call me to set, I'd leave, you never barked or anything. You didn’t give a s**t. On walks if a dog barked at you or walked up to you to say what's up — you paid them no mind, you kept your eyes up, and your head down—so what if you were deaf — you were the s**t. You were my road dog. We went everywhere together, and you could sleep like no dog’s business."
Last year, Dorsey opened up to ET about the ups and downs of navigating single parenthood.
"Some days are harder than the others and some days... I'm optimistic and some days I'm sad. I guess that's for everybody in life, but it's hard for me when Josey will say certain things and if he misses his mom or whatever it is or he'll bring up certain moments that obviously he'll never forget from the worst day of his life," Dorsey told ET.
"And there's not much for me to say except I just say, 'I know buddy and I love you,' and I just give him a hug. Just some human dad to son contact and rub his head and squeeze him because it's all I can do because I don't really have any answers," Dorsey continued. "I'm not one of those, 'Everything happens for a reason,' type of people. When I was younger I was, but then you get older and you see what's going on in the world, it's hard for me to get behind... that kind of mantra."
The proud dad added that Josey is "overall, a happy kid" with ambitious interests and hobbies.
"I'm doing the best I can," he said. "I'm trying to keep it together and provide a safe and happy life for him. He's doing really well in school and he has a lot of friends. He's such a social kid. Everybody loves Josey and he's funny."
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