Kerry Kennedy’s dog was brutally mauled during a walk on the beach just hours after her mother Ethel died, the grieving daughter revealed in a heartbreaking Instagram post on Thursday.
The 65-year-old lawyer and human rights activist said she was walking her dog, Bellini, on the beach at the Kennedy resort in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, on Oct. 10, when Bellini was brutally murdered.
“Out of nowhere, a neighborhood dog charged, attacked and killed Bellini,” Kerry wrote. ‘It was terrifying and violent and beyond words.
“The only thing I can understand is that mom wanted a companion for her trip and she received the best in Bellini.”
Kerry, the daughter of Ethel and Robert F. Kennedy, suggested that she had forgiven her neighbor as she continues to deal with her grief.
Kerry Kennedy, the 65-year-old daughter of Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy, revealed Thursday that her dog, Bellini, was brutally mauled to death just hours after her mother died.
She said she and her daughter were walking Bellini at the Kennedy complex in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, when a neighborhood dog attacked.
She said the unidentified dog’s owner “was devastated by the entire episode.”
“He emailed me every day to express his dismay and offer help,” Kerry said. “He called me yesterday to tell me he had sent his beloved dog away and we both cried together on the phone, having lost our pets.”
‘Reflecting on the episode, I am heartbroken to have lost my beautiful companion, and I am also grateful to have a neighbor who was kind to me afterwards and who, instead of adopting an easy stance of defensiveness, denial and blaming,’ “I made the difficult decision for the common good,” he continued.
“I feel sad, but I also know that I am blessed.”
Kerry’s 96-year-old mother suffered a stroke the previous week and died just hours before the dog was killed.
Bellini’s death came at a difficult time for Kerry, after his 96-year-old mother died of a stroke earlier that day.
Ethel was the mother of eleven children of the late Senator Robert F. Kennedy, whom she married in 1950. He was assassinated in 1968.
At the time of her death, she was pregnant with her youngest son, Rory, whom the senator never met.
Following the death of her husband, Ethel founded the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights and worked tirelessly for world peace.
In April, Kennedy celebrated her final birthday surrounded by her family, including children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Kerry attended her mother’s funeral in Hyannis Port the following Monday and was accompanied by her ex-husband Andrew Cuomo along with their three daughters, Mariah, Michaela and Cara.
Kerry attended her mother’s funeral in Hyannis Port the following Monday and was accompanied by her ex-husband Andrew Cuomo along with their three daughters, Mariah, Michaela and Cara.
They were joined by Max Kennedy, Caroline Kennedy, Anthony Shriver, former Congressmen Joe Kennedy II and Joe Kennedy III, among others.
Only close friends and family were invited to the private ceremony, and many showed up dressed in military attire to pay their respects.
Family members were escorted to the grounds by Barnstable police as well as a security detail, with officers standing guard at the church entrance and surrounding area.
Following the service, a private viewing was held near the family compound at the exclusive Hyannisport Club.