HGTV Star Reveals ‘Bittersweet’ Loss Days After Daughter’s Birth

Heavy HGTV designer and host Brian Patrick Flynn had to say goodbye to his beloved dog 2 days after becoming a dad.

Days after longtime HGTV designer Brian Patrick Flynn became a first-time dad, the designer and host of “HGTV Dream Home” and “Urban Oasis” shared that while he and his husband, Hollis Smith, are reveling in the birth of their baby girl via surrogate, they’re also mourning the unexpected death of their rescue pup.

On Flynn’s 48th birthday — April 27, 2024 — he declared on Instagram that it was his “best birthday ever” thanks to their daughter Clover’s arrival 10 days before, on April 17.

However, Flynn wrote, “In a bittersweet yet poetically beautiful twist of events, our little rescue dog of 16 years, Gidget, said goodbye to us just two days after we returned home with our sleepy little newborn.”

Flynn said that his baby girl and aging dog did have two days to bond, which he considers a huge gift, and included a heartwarming photo of the two together in his carousel of images.

Brian Patrick Flynn’s Rescue Pup Gidget Was an Important Member of His Little Family

It’s clear that over the last 16 years, Gidget became a beloved member of the Flynn-Smith family, periodically featured in both of their Instagram feeds.

In March, Flynn posted a sweet video of Gidget watching over Smith as he built a midcentury modern dollhouse for their baby-to-be. Last July, Flynn shared a photo of Gidget sitting next to him as he worked, with him absent-mindedly petting her head.

“Mad props to my little rescue terrier Gidget who’s still kickin’ it at FIFTEEN,” he captioned the post. “Her barking-at-anything-that-exists is perhaps not my favorite but it’s her side eye that really slaps. Much respect.”

Flynn chose to look for the silver lining in the timing of Gidget’s death, writing in his most recent post how glad he is that his little girl and sweet dog could know each other, albeit briefly, in this life.

He wrote, “Glass half full: this afforded 🐾 and 🍼48 hours to briefly get to know one another. In a way, kind of an additional little birthday gift.”

Flynn and Hollis do have a second dog, who was seen in a video of their baby shower in March. Hollis shared in a 2020 Instagram post that they had rescued a five-year-old Blue Heeler mix named Fylgja, who became fast friends with Gidget. They were even sleeping curled up together within weeks of Fylgia’s arrival.

Fans flooded Flynn’s latest post with a blend of birthday wishes, congratulations and condolences.

“Soooo happy for you,” one person wrote. “Parenthood is hard but a profound love like no other for God’s gift to you. You will never be proud of anything as you will be of your child. She will grow up to be an amazing confident happy woman. Deeply sorry on the loss of Gidget. Pets are family members.”

Another commented, “Félicitations on your sweet girl. ❤️😢for the loss of your sweet fur baby.”

Brian Patrick Flynn & Hollis Smith Are Loving Adjusting to Parenthood

Flynn and Smith’s grief over Gidget’s death has been eased by the joy of welcoming little Clover and learning the ropes of being doting dads together.

The couple announced they were expecting in late February. For several days, they awaited Clover’s arrival in St. Louis, the hometown of their gestational surrogate Marissa, whom they grew extremely close with during her pregnancy.

“The whole story is just total magic because now she’s absolutely a forever family member,” Flynn told People. “So is her husband and so are her kids. They will be Uncle Nathan and Aunt Marissa and her kids will basically be cousins to our kid.”

After Clover’s birth, Flynn and Smith stayed for several days in St. Louis to make sure Marissa was doing well, and then headed back to their home in Atlanta just in time to unknowingly spend Gidget’s final 48 hours with her and their newborn.

Both Flynn and Smith have provided regular Instagram Story updates on their progress as first-time dads, from the difficulty of diaper changes (Flynn wrote that they’re “nothing like in the movies & TV shows”) to discovering children’s entertainment (his friends even threw him a “Bluey”-themed birthday party).

Flynn also shared an Instagram Story from Marissa, who had posted a video of him holding Clover soon after her birth.

“I know this is such a special birthday this year,” she wrote, “and I absolutely love watching you blossom into ‘dad’ with that sweet cherub of yours.”