Amid praise for his handling of the coronavirus, Gov. Andy Beshear's dog dies

Gov. Andy Beshear has been showered with social media love lately, and he just might need it.

The Kentucky governor, whose face has been a meme maker from all things Kermit the Frog to Star Wars, lost one of his dogs on Sunday.

Beshear shared the news on his personal Twitter page Sunday, writing "Today our family said goodbye to this great dog. She gave us thirteen years of unconditional love. ^AB."

Attached was a photo of one of Beshear's dogs, who a spokeswoman confirmed to be Maddy. The Beshears also have a dog named Winnie.

Read more: Meet the 'methodical' Andy Beshear, the man who unseated Kentucky Republican Matt Bevin

The must-have for coronavirus season: Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear socks

Beshear has been praised widely lately for his handling of the coronavirus in Kentucky. Memes have portrayed him as a defender of the state, and you can buy socks with his face on them.

Speaker David Osborne, R-Prospect, and Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, have also recently praised his handling of COVID-19 in the state.

Reach breaking news reporter Sarah Ladd at sladd@courier-journal.com. Follow her on Twitter at @ladd_sarah. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/subscribe.