Christopher Meloni's 14-Year-Old Rescue Dog Dies of Cancer: 'It Is Never Easy'

Christopher Meloni has announced nan decease of his dog, Scotty.

On Thursday, June 5, nan Law & Order: Organized Crime star, 64, shared successful a heartfelt societal media connection that his canine of much than a decade, Scotty, died astatine property 14.

"He began arsenic a rescue pup from Kentucky," Meloni wrote connected Instagram, opening up astir adopting his saccharine pup and sharing photos from his life. "The kids named him Scotty, I wanted to sanction him Biscotti…the kids won."

"My 'pet' sanction for him was Little Mister, pronounced Lidder Midder. Towards nan extremity I recovered myself calling him 'Puppy' arsenic if to callback happier times and possibly stave disconnected nan inevitable," Meloni wrote alongside photos of himself, his woman Doris Sherman Williams and their 2 kids, Sophia and Dante, spending clip pinch nan dog.

"He had crab and was fixed 1 period to live," nan character continued. "He gave america 3 — he was a giver. 14 years was a bully run, and successful nan words of Jon Stewart, 'in a world of bully boys, Scotty was nan best.'"

"It is ne'er easy… Godspeed Lidder Midder," Meloni vanished nan affectional post.

Among nan photos were shots of Sophia, 24, and Dante, 21, walking down a thoroughfare pinch Scotty trailing astatine their heels, a selfie of Meloni and nan pup and a video of Scotty rolling astir connected nan floor.

The actor's Law & Order: SVU costar and friend Mariska Hargitay commented connected nan post: "Sending you emotion my friend. Rest successful bid saccharine Scotty ✨."

Meloni has been candid astir his emotion for Scotty successful nan past, and told PEOPLE past August that he and his family had adopted nan separator terrier into their lives aft being rescued successful Kentucky.

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He touted Scotty's unsocial characteristic — and said owning a pet for illustration him has changed his family for nan better.

"I deliberation having an animal successful nan family that's not my son," he joked of his younger child. "It's conscionable — you get an relationship pinch different surviving thing, being, animal, and it touches this bosom from a different place."

Meloni quipped that Scotty's quality was akin to that of "a bassist from a 70s hairsbreadth metallic band" appearance.

"I committedness he wears achromatic eyeliner," he said, later adding, "I've ne'er caught him putting connected makeup, but if I sent you a picture, you'd go, ohio my, he's wearing makeup."

"You ne'er cognize rather what he's thinking," Meloni added to PEOPLE. "He tin benignant of return you aliases time off you, but past he'll travel up and show you really overmuch he needs you, but connected his clip and successful his way. [He's] really appreciative erstwhile you return him connected nan walk, obviously, aliases erstwhile you're going to provender him; that's erstwhile you're champion friends."