Kelsea Ballerini's Grammys Dress Included Heartwarming Tribute To Late Dog

Kelsea Ballerini’s dress included a sweet nod to her late dog, Dibs, when the country superstar attended the 2026 Grammy Awards on Sunday evening (February 1) in Los Angeles, California.

Ballerini shared a photo of the tribute to Dibs on her Instagram story after the show. The inside of her shimmering gown included a heart on the left side with her beloved dog’s name in it (see it on the second slide of iHeartCountry's Instagram post here). Ballerini, 32, said last month that Dibs “went to doggy heaven” after his battle with cancer that lasted more than a year. He was part of the singer-songwriter’s life for about a decade.

“My sweet Dibs went to doggy heaven yesterday,” Ballerini shared on Instagram on January 8. “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. 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.”

The East Tennessee-born country artist, who named her dog after her hit single from 2015, promised to “share every good ounce of Dibby’s existence” on an Instagram account called @adognameddibs. Ballerini said, “I miss him every second,” when she marked one week without him. She said on her Instagram story on Thursday (January 29) that it had “been a long January,” beginning with “Dibs’ declining and passing, (and) the deep grief” that followed. The highs and lows throughout the month made her realize “how important it is to wrap your arms around life,” Ballerini wrote. “Take it as it comes, show up how you can, cry hard, laugh harder, and let it all just exist as it is, knowing it will always be okay.”

Ballerini first opened up about Dibs’ “inoperable cancer in his heart” in August 2024, calling it “a complex and emotional time.” She continued to share glimpses of Dibs, health updates and milestones along the way, including celebrating his 10th birthday in June 2025. The “HEARTFIRST” artist said on New Year’s Eve that “they gave him a four months prognosis August 2024. And he's bringing in 2026 with me tonight. My greatest gift, my little ride or die forever.”