Samantha Armytage pays tribute to her beloved Labrador Banjo on International Dog Dog

Samantha Armytage has shared a string of throwback photos of her beloved dog Banjo, in celebration of International Dog Day.

On Thursday, the 44-year-old former Sunrise host took to Instagram to gush over her adorable Labrador, who has been a member of her family for five years.

Sam first shared a picture of little Banjo sitting in the corner of a suitcase, on the first day she ever brought him home in 2016. 

Cute: Samantha Armytage has shared a string of throwback photos of her beloved dog Banjo, in celebration of International Dog Day. Pictured on Thursday

‘How it started,’ she captioned the image.  

‘…And later that night,’ she added, showing the tiny puppy rolling around on her sofa.

‘How it’s going,’ she concluded, sharing a current photo of her with the fully-grown Labrador sat in front of her.

International Dog Day is celebrated annually, to encourage people across the globe to adopt more dogs instead of buying them from pet shops. 

Despite Banjo looking tiny in the throwback images, Sam recently admitted that today the pampered pooch is actually 20 kilograms over his recommended weight.

Tiny! Sam first shared a picture of little Banjo sitting in the corner of a suitcase on the first day she ever brought him home, before adding a second of him rolling around on the sofa

Speaking on The Kyle and Jackie O Show, she described the dog as ‘a 50 kilogram weighted blanket’ – with around 30 kilograms being the generally accepted ideal weight for a male Labrador.

Samantha has had plenty more time to spend with Banjo since leaving her role on Channel 7’s Sunrise program.

Since leaving the breakfast show after eight years on-air as co-host, Sam is now fronting her own podcast called Something To Talk About for Stellar magazine.

Her resignation announcement followed months of rumours she was preparing to spend more time with husband Richard Lavender at his country estate in the Southern Highlands.

Sam started dating Richard, 61, in April 2019.

Health: Despite him looking tiny in the throwback images, Sam recently admitted that Banjo is actually 20 kilograms over his recommended weight 

Man’s best friend: Speaking on The Kyle and Jackie O Show, Samantha described the dog as ‘a 50 kilogram weighted blanket’ – with around 30 kilograms being the generally accepted ideal weight for a male Labrador 

The couple announced their engagement in June last year.

She tied the knot with the millionaire businessman on New Year’s Eve, in a quaint ceremony at his Southern Highlands home.

Their intimate wedding ceremony featured only a small number of guests due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with Richard’s daughters, Sasha and Grace, believed to be in attendance.

Love: Her resignation announcement followed months of rumours she was preparing to spend more time with husband Richard Lavender (pictured) at his country estate in the Southern Highlands