Ballroom buddies! While many of the Dancing With the Stars professionals are used to sharing their dancing talents on television, some of their closest companions are waiting for them in the wings — their pets.
Two-time DWTS champ Cheryl Burke is a proud dog mom to her French Bulldog, Ysabella, who is often featured on her owner’s Instagram page. While the Dance Moms alum frequently gushes over the canine, she struggled to adjust to her ex-husband Matthew Lawrence’s collection of pets.
“I love animals, but he has reptiles,” Burke said during a January 2022 appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show. “He has 45-50 reptiles that live beneath us. No snakes: That was the deal, no snakes. But when we dated a little over a decade ago, I knew I would be marrying a guy who loves reptiles.”
The I Can Do That alum — who filed for divorce from Lawrence one month later after three years of marriage — told host Kelly Clarkson that she was cool with the Brotherly Love alum’s pets so long as they were kept separate from Ysabella.
“I’m like, ‘Stay far away!’” Burke joked at the time. “She’s an indoorsy-type dog, likes to go on walks, but stays away from the cages.”
The “Pretty Messed Up” podcast cohost is not the only DWTS alum that gushes over her pets. Val Chmerkovskiy and wife Jenna Johnson, whom he married in April 2019, share two toy poodles.
“My three forever Valentines 🖤,” the Utah native wrote when she shared a sweet February 2022 Instagram snap of her husband and the dogs lounging in bed.
The couple previously took care of dog Anastasia before its death in August 2018.
“[Anastasia] brought so much happiness to me and really changed my perspective on a lot of things,” Chmerkovskiy told Us Weekly at the time. “I didn’t grow up with dogs, I never experienced that love that you can have for an animal, so this was new. And again, the permanence of death is also really frightening and scary and how it came out of nowhere, so it’s definitely [been] a week-and-a-half for me. … Time heals all and keeps it moving and that’s what’s most humbling about this whole thing. It’s very devastating and there’s nothing I can do now.”
DWTS judge Carrie Ann Inaba, meanwhile, is a faithful dog owner to her furry companion, Peanut.
“She keeps watch. Everyday. Always making sure everything is OK,” the former Talk cohost wrote via Instagram in November 2021. “She never tires of love. And always has more to give. Her little sweet soul’s so courageous and full of spirit… I ❤️ her so much.”
The Hawaii native is also an avid animal lover, who’s taken care of multiple rescue pups and kittens through the years.
“I grew up with a household that always had at least two cats and two dogs at all times,” Inaba exclusively told Us in August 2017. “So, that’s the minimum requirement for me. … [My pets] have so many toys and I play with them all the time.”
Scroll below to meet the pets of DWTS:
