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Dan and Shay's Dan Smyers Is "Rattled" by the Death of His Beloved Rescue Dog, Missy

"I know that she knew she was loved," says Smyers' wife, Abby

Two months ago, Dan and Shay's Dan Smyers posted a photo to social media of a 16-year-old "emaciated," toothless, and "terrified" dog he and his wife Abby encountered at Nashville's Wags & Walks Rescue. "We weren't going to let her live the rest of her life like that," Smyers wrote about the dog they later adopted. Heartbreakingly though, Myers' wife, Abby, recently posted that Missy, their just-adopted pup, had passed away following a terminal cancer diagnosis.

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In an Instagram post, Abby noted, "We are still processing and honestly have taken this a lot harder than I think either of us could have imagined. We knew ultimately this would be the outcome, sooner rather than later, given her age and overall health but the rapidness of her decline has left us both a little rattled." She continued, "We held her as she left and she left peacefully and safe. I know that she knew she was loved and I’m so grateful to have given her a few months of a truly charmed life."

Dan and Abby Myers are noted dog enthusiasts, so Missy is survived by the couple's still-living canine pets Joy, Chief, Ghost and Mac. For four years, the duo also worked with Nashville's Proverbs 12:10 Animal Rescue, fostering “probably 30 or 40 dogs and gotten them forever homes, but it’s always tough to let them go,” the "10,000 Hours" co-vocalist told PEOPLE. Regarding the quartet who have remained in their household, he adds, “They’re always making us laugh,” he says. “It is like a constant form of entertainment. We no longer need to go to the movies or watch TV shows.”

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