Photo: Getty Images
Kelsea Ballerini shared the moment she first saw the sweet tribute to her late dog, Dibs, that was sewn into the inside of her dress at the 2026 Grammy Awards.
Ballerini included that clip on the fourth slide of an Instagram post on Thursday afternoon (February 5). “In person, it’s even better,” the country superstar said as she saw the shimmering gown for the first time. She shared in an interview with Cosmopolitan earlier this week that the designers and her stylists surprised her with the nod to Dibs at the final fitting. The inside of Ballerini’s dress included a heart with Dibs’ name in it. The stylist admitted, “oh sh*t, I’m nervous,” as she revealed the heart. Ballerini embraced her in a long hug and cried over the sweet surprise.
“That’s so thoughtful,” Ballerini said through tears as she looked at the heart.
Ballerini first shared a glimpse of the hidden tribute to Dibs on her Instagram story shortly after the 2026 Grammy Awards on Sunday evening (February 1) in Los Angeles, California. Dibs was diagnosed with an inoperable heart cancer in August 2024. Ballerini shared health updates along the way, and said Dibs, named after her 2015 single, “went to doggy heaven” on January 7. She spent more than a decade with him, and said he’s her “soul dog.”
“He spent his last few days in his backyard looking at the sunshine and surrounded and visited by his forever people,” Ballerini said as she mourned his loss last month. “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. 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.”