Serena Williams Announces 'The End Of An Era' Of Family Dog Lauerlei

It is a period of mourning for the Williams-Ohanian family as Serena Williams has bided farewell to a longtime family member - their dog, Lauerlei. The bereaved kinsfolk could not help but honor the deceased's memory by recounting the loving moments they all shared via a beautiful tribute.

"Lauerlei sadly took her last breath yesterday," Serena began her tribute, adding, "I am sad but happy for all the time and all the extra I got to spend with her." She noted that the pet lived a very long life, with the last year and some being a "bonus" as Lauerlei got everything she wanted, including biting toes till the end. The Tennis star further listed the late dog's favorites; chicken and acrobatics, adding:

"She was the smallest yet toughest little pup, and I will miss her…so much. [heartbreak emoji] truly the end of an Era."

Her heartfelt message was then rounded off with an acknowledgment of the hound's full name, Lauerlei Linkogle Williams, and her years of existence, May 2004 - August 27, 2022. In addition to the tribute, Serena uploaded nine photos of Lauerlei in different sceneries, reveling in joyous moments over the years, with some images showing her with several other dogs.

Most of the snaps also displayed the deceased, a white hairy cutie, snuggling into cushioned surfaces, while some showed her wearing a blue neckerchief and a red one. As expected, fans expressed their sympathy and sent condolences to the grieving family. The famed athlete's sister Venus Williams and entertainment stars Lala Anthony and Kelly Rowland were among the sympathizers.

Serena's devastating news comes shortly after she announced her retirement from the tennis industry, leading her to open up about the heartbreaking change in an interview with Vogue. As The Blast reported, she was not a fan of the term 'retirement,' but the decision may have been necessary as she had to think of her daughter, Olympia Ohanian, and family.

The doting mother revealed that her child has always been vocal about her desire to have a younger sister, even going ahead to pray to "Jehovah" for one. Family has always been at the center of her life alongside her sports career, and she never wanted to be forced to choose between them as she felt it was unfair.

While she believed if she were a guy, she would not be so worried about having kids or expanding her family, she never regretted birthing her baby daughter as she cherished every moment of her pregnancy. Age does not seem to be on Serena's side as she turns 41 soon, causing her to realize that she had to move on from tennis.

Leaving her lifelong career was admittedly a difficult decision, and she did not view her leave as "retirement" but more like a "transition" and an "evolution." She explained:

"Maybe the best word to describe what I'm up to is evolution. I'm here to tell you that I'm evolving away from tennis toward other things that are important to me."

The professional tennis player never spoke of the painful evolution with anyone, not even her husband or parents but only her therapist, as it triggered tears. She also confessed that she felt a "great deal of pain" about ending her career and was not so thrilled. Nevertheless, she had high hopes for the future and anticipated a new chapter in her life.

Amid Serena's retirement from tennis headlines, her loving husband Alexis Ohanian honored her on Instagram with candid words of praise for being a role model to many in the world. The Blast shared details of the post, featuring two pictures with the Reddit co-founder and Olympia in one, while the second showed a woman raising a yellow poster that had "QUEEN" on it.

His tribute then began, "I've seen over the last 7 years how much y'all love my wife – what she means to so many, worldwide. It's unlike anything I've ever seen." Alexis further acknowledged the massive impact of Serena's influence on people's lives which completely dwarfs the scale of how his company has changed lives.

He could not exaggerate the "breadth and depth" of his spouse's effect globally, and he believed she had no idea how many people looked up to her.