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For anyone who has ever held a beloved pet in their final moments, or who is watching an aging companion slow down day by day, grief can feel isolating.
But country music star Kelsea Ballerini’s recent public tribute to her late Goldendoodle, Dibs, offers a powerful reminder: the love we share with our pets is worthy of being honored, remembered, and grieved openly.
At the 2026 Grammy Awards, Ballerini walked the red carpet in a stunning backless gown with a paisley pattern and shimmering train. The 32-year-old singer was nominated for Best Contemporary Country Album—her sixth Grammy nomination overall.
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But it was what she revealed after the ceremony that resonated most deeply with pet lovers everywhere.
A secret tribute stitched close to Kelsea Ballerini’s heart
The “Miss Me More” artist took to her Instagram Stories on Feb. 1 to share a photo of the inside of her gorgeous dress, which included a stitched heart with the name “DIBS” written inside of it.
This hidden memorial, invisible to cameras and crowds, was a private way of carrying her beloved companion with her during one of the biggest nights of her career.
And it came less than one month after she announced the death of Dibs.
When Ballerini shared the news, she used language that will resonate deeply with anyone who has lost a pet who felt like more than “just an animal.”
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“My sweet dibs went to doggy heaven yesterday. he spent his last few days in his backyard looking at the sunshine and surrounded and visited by his forever people. there are no words to articulate his role in my life, but i couldn’t have done the last ten years without him, and he will always be my soul dog…and i pray and believe we’ll find each other in every life, she wrote in an Instagram post on Jan. 8.
“His love and reach can’t be captured in an instagram photo dump, or in a caption, but here’s a look at some happy from dibs. thank you for loving him so loudly with me. i feel like the luckiest girl in the world that i got to be his dog mom, greatest gift of my life,” she added in the post.
Ballerini’s words validate what so many grieving pet owners feel: that this loss is significant, that this relationship mattered, and that the grief deserves to be expressed fully.
Kelsea Ballerini’s dog was diagnosed with heart cancer in 2024
For pet owners currently caring for an aging or terminally ill animal, Ballerini’s timeline from diagnosis to loss offers a glimpse into how one person navigated that heartbreaking journey.
In August 2024, Ballerini announced that Dibs was diagnosed with inoperable cancer in his heart.
“We’re going to start him on the ‘big’ meds,” she wrote on her Instagram Stories at the time, per E! News, “to try to make sure he can have as many comfortable and happy days (weeks, months) left as possible.”
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“it’s a complex and emotional time,” she continued in her Stories. “He’s been my baby and my steady for the last 9 years and very much alongside this whole journey with us all.”
That phrase—“comfortable and happy days”—reflects the delicate balance so many pet owners face when dealing with a terminal diagnosis. The focus shifts from cure to quality of life, from fighting the inevitable to cherishing what remains.
Dibs was named after one of Ballerini’s hit singles
The bond between Ballerini and Dibs spanned nearly a decade, beginning when she was still an emerging artist in country music.
In fact, the dog was named after her 2015 hit single “Dibs”—a choice that wasn’t immediately embraced by everyone around her.
“I was on the bus with my band and I’m like, ‘What do I name my dog?’” she recalled in an interview with WKDP. “We’re going through all the names and I’m like, ‘Guys, what about Dibs?’ And they’re like, ‘Kelsea, that’s so lame. We’re not calling the dog Dibs if you call him that, no.’”
She initially decided to go with the name Knox, since she’s from Knoxville, TN, but the dog’s breeder helped her change her mind.
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“She goes, ‘Hey, I know it’s none of my business, I know you’re gonna name him Knox, but you should really name him Dibs,’” Kelsea remembered, per WKDP. “I was like, ‘That’s a sign.’ But it’s cool too because it was the week that ‘Dibs’ went to radio and the week that I got him, so it’s a good little reminder.”
This origin story illustrates how our pets become woven into the fabric of our lives in unexpected ways.
For Ballerini, Dibs wasn’t just a companion—he was a living connection to a pivotal moment in her career, a constant presence through the highs and lows of the past decade.
Ballerini’s dress came with even more special meaning
Kelsea Ballerni's Grammy gown itself carried multiple layers of tributes — including a nod to her newest album Patterns.
While walking the red carpet, Ballerini said she was “obsessed” with the dress and its hidden meanings.
“I wanted to have a dress that feels very patterned, because we are nominated for ‘Patterns,’” she said on the carpet, per Women’s Wear Daily. “I’m obsessed with it.”
While the award for Best Contemporary Country Album ultimately went to Jelly Roll, it was Ballerini who had everyone talking after the show—not for winning or losing, but for the tender way she honored her grief publicly.
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This was the sixth Grammy nomination for Ballerini. She has yet to actually win one.
