For a player known for his on-field toughness, Dallas Cowboys legend Michael Irvin is showing a different kind of strength as he navigates some unfortunate news hitting close to home. While very playful, his baby, Aurora, recently had some troubles. Now, Irvin updated his followers on what exactly happened.

“Y’all please pray for my girl Aurora, she had to have knee surgery on her ACL (just like Papa had to in his second year with the @dallascowboys)⁦‪, so I told her I know her pain 🙏🏾❤️🙏🏾❤️” Michael Irvin wrote as he shared pictures of his dog after her surgery.

The grey-haired pup, Aurora, was sitting on the back seat of a car, wearing a cone collar around her neck and tape wrapped on her left hind leg. She also had some tape on the front leg knee. While there’s no update yet available on what exactly happened to the pup, the good news is that there are no bad updates either. However, Irvin had hinted at what was going on with Aurora.

On Monday, the Hall of Famer shared an Instagram story when he took Aurora to the vet.

According to him, she had a left leg discomfort. However, not knowing the extent of the injury, he was his playful self, drawing a comparison to current Dallas No. 88 CeeDee Lamb, who suffered a high left ankle sprain in the Week 3 loss to the Chicago Bears.

“Something wrong with that leg right there,” Irvin told the veterinarians. “But that leg right there, that same CeeDee Lamb ankle. That’s what that is, that same CeeDee Lamb ankle right there. Something happened to her? What happened to that ankle? That CeeDee Lamb ankle. … That’s my baby right here. We are going to get you fixed up. … My baby limping like CeeDee. … We gotta get you back on the field so you can run some routes.”

Even now, while Irvin understands the seriousness of the surgery, he knows Aurora will be fine. After all, he’s been there. And he knows his pup takes after him.

The former wide receiver has had his fair share of injuries throughout his legendary NFL career. In 1989, his second season, which was Jerry Jones’ first season as the Cowboys’ owner, he went down in Week 6 against the San Francisco 49ers with a torn right ACL. The injury kept him out for nearly a year, and he only returned to the Cowboys in Week 4 of the 1990 season. Although optimistic, it’s hard to ignore how he loves his pets.

Time and again, Irvin shares clips of his two dogs’ adorable activities with his social media followers. One of the best moments with Aurora was when he showed he didn’t just love the pup but also respected her.

Then, he sat on his couch with a plate of cut watermelon in his hand. The two dogs sat in front of him on the floor. As he talked to his viewers, he would ask Zeus, his first American Bully who was clearly very excited to have some fruit, to stay back and let the lady have the watermelon first because “ladies first.”

He even called Aurora a pretty dog with pretty eyes, which could be far from the truth. However, it is not to say that he doesn’t love Zeus. In fact, according to Irvin, the male is exactly like him, tough and rugged but still soft. The photo of Zeus with teary eyes to comfort Irvin in the Cowboys’ 31-14 loss to the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on September 21, 2025, certainly proves the latter point.

But with Aurora now having to tone down her active life and step cautiously, Irvin’s fans are flooding him with prayers and love.

Michael Irvin fans pour in messages of support

Sympathizing with someone when their dog is ailing from sickness or injuries isn’t hard. It definitely gets easier when it’s a quiet and adorable dog like Aurora. One fan wrote, “🩵🥹 Awww sending love and prayers for a speedy recovery 🙏🏾” while another echoed, “Got you big Mike🙏🏼🙏🏼.”

While many sent their prayers, some also tried to help with possible steps to take when something like this happens. One even shared their personal experience, commenting, “@michaelirvin88 look into prolozone therapy injections versus the invasive surgery. My bully had a cruciate ligament tear and was fine after 4 rounds of treatment.”

Even the sight of a vet’s office can make dogs anxious. And we pet parents certainly know that. So, an invasive surgery on the ACL might be a bigger deal. While Irvin’s already had the surgery done, and hopefully Aurora will be back to her old self again, maybe the above suggestion could help others.

At the same time, some were there to motivate Irvin as Aurora recovers. The best way to make someone feel better? Give them their own example. That’s what one fan did as they commented on how the pupper has a cheat code, “She got 88 genetics will come back fast 🙌”

Not to mention, Irvin himself, too, returned much better from his surgery. We will definitely hope the same for Aurora as well. Amidst all the concerning and serious messages to the pup were some ways to make the pawrent smile, as one wrote, “Ahhh. Praying for Aurora!❤️🙏🏾 Aurora giving you the “Side eye!” 😆”

There’s just something about your pets giving you a side eye. Nothing can beat that little judgmental look saying, ‘Are you serious right now?’ Aurora did the same, giving Irvin a side eye, and we can understand why, honestly. Who takes a photo of a dog wrapped up in bandages? She already has a cone around her neck as it is! But let’s keep Aurora in our prayers and hope we get an update on her soon.