Courtesy of Kelsea Ballerini / Instagram
Country Star Kelsea Ballerini Says Goodbye to Her Beloved Dog
On January 8, country star Kelsea Ballerini shared heartbreaking news with her fans on Instagram. Her cherished dog, Dibs, passed away at the age of 10.
Accompanying a carousel of photos and videos featuring Dibs, the 32-year-old singer wrote, “My sweet Dibs went to doggy heaven yesterday. He spent his last few days in the backyard, enjoying the sunshine and surrounded by his forever people. There are no words to capture his role in my life, but I couldn’t have done the last ten years without him. He will always be my soul dog, and I believe we’ll find each other in every life.”
She went on to say, “His love can’t be captured in an Instagram post, but here’s a look at some happy moments with Dibs. Thank you for loving him with me. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to have been his dog mom—the greatest gift of my life.”
Fans flooded the comments with condolences, honoring the special bond between Ballerini and her furry companion.
Ballerini’s partner, Chase Stokes, shared a simple heartfelt tribute, writing, “My sweet sweet boy.” Former Bachelorette Ali Manno added, “My heart is with you. I just lost my dog this past week, it has shattered me so I feel your pain so very deeply. It’s the worst pain of my life and so hard to understand until you’re going through it. Sending you so much love ❤️.”
Actress Lili Reinhart wrote, “I’m so sorry to you and Chase 💔,” while Miley Cyrus’s older sister, Brandi Cyrus, shared, “There’s no greater heartbreak 💔 but what an amazing life he had!!! 🥹🥹🙏🏼🙏🏼.”
On January 9, Ballerini shared another round of sentimental videos and photos of Dibs on Instagram. In the caption, she wrote, “Smiling and crying looking through all my Dibby memories. We did so much life together. Going to keep sharing all his happy moments as I find them on @adognameddibs ❤️.”
Ballerini welcomed Dibs into her life over ten years ago, naming him after one of her breakout songs, Dibs. Over the years, he became a constant companion, often traveling with her on tour and appearing regularly on her Instagram.
Ballerini even shared the story of choosing Dibs’ name during an interview with 99.5 KD Country WKDP. “I was on the bus with my band, thinking, ‘What do I name my dog?’” she recalled. “We were tossing around all kinds of names, and I said, ‘Guys, what about Dibs?’ And they were like, ‘Kelsea, that’s so lame. If you call him that, we’re not calling him Dibs.’”
Originally, the Baggage singer planned to name him Knox, a nod to her hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee. But when she visited the breeder, she got some unexpected advice.
“She said, ‘I know you’re probably going to call him Knox, but you should really name him Dibs,’” Kelsea remembered. “I took it as a sign. It was also the same week my song ‘Dibs’ went to radio, and the week I got him, so it felt like a perfect little reminder.”
Dibs also had a shoutout in her track Penthouse from her album “Rolling up the Welcome Mat”, where she sang, “I bought the house with the fence / Enough room for some kids / A backyard for Dibs…”
In the late summer of 2024, Ballerini revealed that Dibs had been diagnosed with what she described as “inoperable heart cancer.”
She reassured fans at the time, saying, “He’s not in pain, and thankfully the cancer hasn’t spread. We’re starting him on the ‘big’ medications to make sure he can have as many happy and comfortable days—weeks, maybe months 🙏—as possible.”
Despite his diagnosis, Dibs remained a joyful presence through the holidays. Ballerini celebrated Christmas with him, posting on Instagram, “A very merry Dibsmass & Christmas indeed ❤️🎄.”
Conversation
All comments are subject to our Community Guidelines. Life & Style does not endorse the opinions and views shared by our readers in our comment sections. Our comments section is a place where readers can engage in healthy, productive, lively, and respectful discussions. Offensive language, hate speech, personal attacks, and/or defamatory statements are not permitted. Advertising or spam is also prohibited.