The Chelsea host wrote a heartfelt caption accompanying the photo of Tammy laying on top of a bed wearing a red bandana around her neck.
“I lost my bear today,” Handler, 42, wrote. “She was struggling and I couldn’t bear to have her fight anymore. Anyone who doesn’t believe a dog changes your life has never rescued one. I only had 2 years with Tammy, but she made sure I never went to bed once without hearing her little paws mount my stairwell 2 paws at a time.”
“If my door was closed, she slept outside my room like a security guard,” she added. “Dogs give you something you never knew was missing.”
Despite her grief, Handler wrote that she would adopt another dog again: “I will get another dog that needs a home and it will remind me every day how much I miss you. Lub lub lub. @realtammyhandler.”
Earlier this week, Handler shared that Tammy was recovering from “renal failure.”
“My whole family is falling apart. Poor @realtammyhandler is recuperating from renal failure while remembering happier times… Fight like a bear, bear. These poor dogs. I’m starting to think it might be my parenting,” the TV host wrote.
Tammy is survived by Chunk, Handler’s other furry family member.
This article originally appeared on PEOPLE