The `Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close` star took to his WhoSay page yesterday to share a photograph of his beloved German Shepherd Monty and pay tribute to the pooch.

He wrote: "Monty. Deep brown eyes, noble demeanor, finest dog ever. A sad day. Goodbye Big Boy. Hanx (sic)"

Fans were quick to rush to comfort Tom, with one user writing: "One of the hardest things in life is losing a beloved pet. I am sorry for the loss of Monty, he was a great dog. One day you will be re-united with him, but until then he`ll be always be with you in your heart and in your thoughts. God Bless, Mr. Hanks."

Another fan encouraged Tom to get a new dog as soon as possible to help him get over his loss, writing "Great looking dog. Thanks for sharing his photo! The best way to honor him, I`ve read, is to get another dog (sic)"

Tom has spoken about Monty in the past.

In 2009 he considered moving to a new home in California because his home became infested with a terrible stink after a skunk attacked Monty and his other German Shepherd.

Tom said: "They say the only way to get rid of skunk smell is tomato juice. This is a lie. We have gone through vats and vats of tomato juice. It`s sticky, it`s like hair gel when the dogs leap up on you and spread the skunk goo on top of you.

"I put the clothes in the dirty clothes hamper. I`ve got to burn the clothes. We`ve gotta move out because it smells so bad. We`ve got to move out of our house because our dogs got skunked!"
sections: Celebrities