Vanessa Bryant Opens Up About The Tragic Loss Of The Family Dog, Crucio

Vanessa Bryant has not had an easy couple of years. The former model went through a devastating loss when her husband, Kobe Bryant, and daughter, Gianna Bryant, were killed in a helicopter crash in January 2020. Her trauma was made even worse after she learned that Los Angeles County violated their promise about how they would secure the crash site and deny officials and first responders from taking photos of the gruesome scene, according to TMZ.

Vanessa is currently in the process of suing the county, claiming that she and her family have been subjected to severe emotional distress after they learned that county officials took and distributed pictures of the crash scene where her husband and daughter died, according to the Los Angeles Times. Per the New York Post, the trial was set to begin on February 22, but has been postponed to later in the summer after the judge cited COVID-19 concerns.

The delay, as it turns out, might be better for Vanessa, who has suffered another devastating loss in her family.

On February 11, Vanessa Bryant announced that her family's dog, Crucio — named after a "Harry Potter" spell — had died. In a heartbreaking tribute on Instagram to her and late husband Kobe Bryant's black Labrador retriever, Vanessa posted a carousel of photographs that featured Crucio wearing different bandanas throughout the years.

"We love you, Crucio. Thank you for everything sweet boy," Vanessa captioned the post. "Thank you for watching over us. We're going to miss you." She also added the hashtags "#GoodBoy" and "RestEasy."

Shortly after the announcement was posted, Vanessa received an outpouring of love and condolences from friends, including Ciara, Kris Jenner, Kyle Richards, and Lily Collins, who wrote, "We're sending you so so much love." Vanessa's eldest daughter, Natalia Bryant, also paid tribute to the furry friend on her Instagram, calling Crucio "the best dog I could have ever asked for" and said that he'd "be forever missed."

The Bryant family have always been dog people. Kobe previously owned a black and white Pomeranian named Gucci, per Bleacher Report, whereas Vanessa welcomed a mini pit bull into their family in mid-2020.