1000-lb Sisters‘ Amy Slaton worries Tammy Slaton will derail her weight-loss progress because of a recent death in the family. It’s all made worse because she’s still in the bariatric rehab facility in Ohio and can’t make it to the memorial service.

1000-Lb Sisters: Amy Slaton & Michael Halterman Devastated over Death of “Daughter”

If you keep up with TLC news when the series is off-season, you might know that Amy Slaton and her husband, Michael Halterman, lost their beloved dog Little Bit, while filming 1000-lb Sisters Season 4.

In fact, their Chihuahua had an incredibly long life, especially considering the pup’s taste for junk food. Michael had the dog for 17 years before he met Amy Slaton. Then, over their past five years together, she got very attached to his pet.

Amy calls Little Bit “her daughter”, as does her husband. And they’re not the only ones very attached to the dog. Her big sister, Tammy Slaton, adored the little pup. So, Amy’s very concerned that learning the dog died could derail Tammy’s progress, especially given a recent setback in rehab.

Baby Gage Halterman Sad to Lose Family Pet – Amy Worries About Fallout

In the most recent episode of 1000-lb Sisters, Michael and Amy set up a backyard inflatable pool for baby Gage Halterman to distract him from the sadness over losing the family’s dog.

Amy reveals that Little Bit hopped in the back of the car with Gage, then collapsed and stopped breathing. They tried to revive her, but old age took their little doggie from them.

She says splashing in the pool will “cheer him up”. If you’ve been watching 1000-lb Sisters from the start, you’ve no doubt seen their pup. Little Bit was part of their wedding and other big milestones of their shared life together.

Amy reminisces about all the junk food the dog loved. And she also worries how hard this will hit Tammy Slaton, who just got the bad news that she regained 10 lbs after many months of weight loss progress.

1000-lb Sisters: Tammy Slaton Heartbroken as She Loses “Girlfriend”

Since Amy and Tammy Slaton lived next door to each other in a duplex for years, the older sister spent time daily with the adorable dog. In fact, she says Tammy used to call Little Bit her “girlfriend”.

So, on 1000-lb Sisters, Amy says this will devastate Tammy and she worries about telling her. She says that’s her sister’s pattern — to give up when something bad happens. And this is bad. Tammy gets on a video chat so Amy can tell her about Little Bit’s death.

She’s very worried about Tammy’s backsliding. She tells the TLC cameras that her sister can “drink a cup of water, gain an ounce, then give up.” She says her big sister “gives up easy”. Amy encourages her and says 10 lbs is a “good healthy sh*t” she can easily lose.

Then, she bites the bullet and tells her about the dog passing. And Tammy Slaton’s reaction is immediate and devastated. On 1000-lb Sisters, she starts crying. Tammy says “my heart stopped” and calls it broken over this bad news.

Tammy knew the dog was old but didn’t think she’d died before she came back home from rehab. Now, Tammy’s really down about missing even more milestones. Like this, the memorial Amy’s planning for Little Bit, her brother’s weight loss, sister Amanda Halterman’s divorce, and Amy’s second pregnancy.

1000-Lb Sisters Funeral for Dog – Amanda Doesn’t Get It

Michael and his wife Amy Slaton plan a memorial to honor their beloved family dog. Plus, he ordered several items to remind them of what she meant to them. Amy’s other big sister, Amanda, drops by with packages containing what he ordered.

What he got has Amanda off-put on 1000-lb Sisters. There are two canvas portraits of the dog that are nice. But Amanda loses it when Michael pulls out a life-size pillow in the shape of their dead Chihuahua. She thinks this might haunt them instead of helping them.

She says if they set it on the back of the couch, they might think it’s the dog back from the dead. He also got a big blanket with the dog’s photo on it and a tombstone marker for the dog’s backyard grave.

On the day of the memorial on 1000-lb Sisters, Misty Slaton, Chris Combs, Brittany Combs, Amanda, and several of the kids are coming over for the pup’s memorial service. Amy hopes everyone doesn’t “act like a** hats” and wants them “to act normal, act right” even though it’s not a human funeral.

Chris shows up saying, “I ain’t never been to no dog funeral.” They even have Tammy Slaton on Facetime, but she can’t talk because her trach’s giving her problems that day.

Goodbye Little Bit – A Memorial on TLC – Tammy & Amy Crushed About Loss

As the event starts, Michael thanks everyone for coming and has a photo of her on an easel. He tells everyone he had her since his dad passed away. He calls her his daughter. Later, Amy Slaton says the memorial makes it fresh again.

He shows the headstone that says “no longer by my side, but forever in my heart.” He places it by where they buried her and says he can sit out with her, and anyone can visit her if they want. Meanwhile, Tammy’s crying on the video

On the 1000-lb Sisters’ funeral, Michael asks if anyone wants to speak. Misty says she knew the dog but wasn’t close to her. She’s only there for her family. At one point, Amanda’s struggling not to laugh at the pet funeral.

But Amanda, Misty, and Chris all say something nice. He said she never barked, and Misty says she always loved on everyone. Amy Slaton again calls her daughter and says a “piece of her soul” went with her.

They ask if Tammy wants to speak but she says no. It’s clear that Tammy’s trach’s making it too hard to talk. Instead, Tammy Slaton just wipes away tears. There are several flashbacks of Little Bit at their big life moments like the wedding.

Then, Amy Slaton talks about wanting her boys to have an animal but doesn’t want to get another dog soon since she’s facing potty training. As for Tammy Slaton, despite her family’s concerns, she didn’t let this low point stop her weight loss progress as we know she got surgery last year.