Tom Hardy wrote a heartfelt tribute to his dog and late "best Friend" Woodstock, which was sent to his fan site TomHardyDotOrg. Hardy has a long, very public love affair with dogs and for anyone that has ever lost a pet, you know exactly what the actor is going through. Woodstock was Hardy's constant companion over the past 6 years, going practically everywhere that Hardy would go, including movie sets as well as premiers and he even helped Hardy get over the death of his dog Max.

I highly recommend reading Hardy's entire lengthy letter on TomHardyDotOrg, it's essential reading for anybody that has ever loved and lost a pet. Hardy's tribute to Woodstock starts with where their relationship began. The actor recounts the story of driving late at night in Peachtree, Atlanta while filming The Dark Knight Rises. He and Lawless co-star Jessica Chastain were driving and noticed something that looked like a dog run across the road. Hardy and Chastain stopped and picked up the dog that was only 11 weeks old at the time and took him home. The duo were pretty much inseparable from there on out. Woody even became really close to Hardy's wife Charlotte Riley, becoming a fierce guard dog while she was pregnant. In his tribute, Tom Hardy writes about why he decided to share his letter with the public. He says.

"I don't normally speak out about family and friends but this is an unusual circumstance. Woody affected so many people in his own right so with great respect to his autonomy and as a familiar friendly face to many of you, it is with great great sadness and heavy heart that I inform you that after a very hard and short 6 month battle with an aggressive polymyostisis Woody passed away, two days ago. He was only Age 6."

At the very least, Hardy should feel comfort deep inside that he was able to give Woody the best possible life that a stray puppy could ever hope to have. Losing a member of the family is never easy, but one hopes that the writing of Woody's tribute was a comforting experience for Hardy.

In 2007, Hardy told Dogs Today that when he was 17 he wouldn't go to his drama class unless his dog was allowed in. Hardy explains how dogs have helped him over the years. Read what he had to say below.

"It's like I had a focus; I had an identity and higher self esteem because something relied on me and loved me constantly. Then I felt important."

Vanity Fair even wrote an oral history of Hardy's love of dogs in 2015 after Hardy's PETA canine adoption campaign started going into further detail of Hardy's affection for dogs. Hardy also points out how Woody won the heart of his fans and coworkers after he brought him to premiers and to sets. Woody even became Time Magazine's number 73 of influential animals, beating out Jaws. Hardy says this.

"He has been on many sets. Met many crews. Photo shoots premieres made many many friends he was #73 most influential animal in TIME magazine. He beat JAWS. Something we all thought was brilliant. He's been in peaky blinders. Legend everyone who met him loved him. He didn't have a bad bone in his body. All he knew was love."


Hardy finishes his tribute by saying this.

"The world for me was a better place with him in it and by my side. To the bestest friend ever. To me and to a family who loved him beyond words and whom he loved without doubt more than I have ever known. Woody was the bestest of journey companions we ever could dream of having. Our souls intertwined forever."

Hardy also included a tribute video to Woody that you can watch below. I would not recommend watching the video in public unless you're cool with crying in front of people.