Justin Bieber's dog has died.

The "Believe" hitmaker is mourning the death of his beloved pooch Sammy, who lived with his grandparents in Ontario, Canada, because of his busy schedule.

Posting an old photograph of himself and his pet, Justin wrote on Instagram: "R.i.p Sammy you were the best puppy ever (sic)"

 

R.i.p Sammy ������ you were the best puppy ever

A photo posted by Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) on

The 20-year-old star revealed in 2009 that the rescue dog became his "friend" when he moved to a new city and didn't know anyone.

He said at the time: "I have a dog, his name is Sammy, I got him about a year ago.

"We moved to a city where we didn't really know anybody so I wanted a friend, and Sam was that friend. I visited him in an animal shelter, I really encourage going out to an animal shelter to get a dog that doesn't have a home."

While Justin was devoted to Sammy, his treatment of some of his family's other animals has sparked controversy.

Last December, he bought a white and tan American bulldog puppy named Karma and gave it to his father Jeremy as a gift.

However, it emerged last month that Jeremy had left the dog with trainer Trevor Dvernichuk in February and never returned to pick it up.

Trevor said: "This is like taking your kid to school and not picking it back up."

The "Never Say Never" star was criticized in 2013 for taking a young pet capuchin monkey named Mally on tour with him, and the primate was eventually seized by German customs officials after it was taken to Munich without the right vaccination and import paperwork.

Justin failed to send the documents or return for the monkey, so it was taken to an animal shelter and later moved to Serenegeti Park near Hanover.

In December 2012, the singer gave his pet hamster Pac to a fan but the creature died just three months later.