Jon Gosselin and Wife Stephanie Introduce New Puppy After Beloved Dog Death
Former reality TV star Jon Gosselin and his wife, Stephanie Lebo, are welcoming a new, four-legged family member to the fold following the death of their beloved dog, Toby.
"We had been looking at rescue [dogs] and Adriane Schwartz found a puppy at Big Love Animal Rescue in California," Stephanie exclusively tells Us Weekly, introducing white, fluffy Theo to the world. "They don't normally send dogs across the country, but she offered to bring him as a wedding gift."
The pair, who got engaged in November 2024 following Jon's 2009 split from Kate Gosselin, were planning on having their 16-year-old dog Toby ("The woo was my little fur brother," Stephanie says) walk her down the wedding aisle. Unfortunately, the dog died in September 2025 - months before the pair's November 2025 nuptials.
"Losing him left a huge void, not only in our home but also in both our parents' home," Jon exclusively tells Us. "We are all dog lovers in our family. Toby spent so much time between both our families and we all missed him terribly."
The Jon and Kate Plus 8 alum adds, "After the wedding, it just felt like the right moment to bring a little bundle of joy back into everyone's lives "by adopting a little dog and welcoming a new member into the family."
"I think between Jon and I, bringing nine babies into the world is plenty," Stephanie says. "He is mostly ‘our baby.' Just with four legs rather than two legs. He is absolutely our baby and the entire family's baby. He has already stolen all of our hearts and become such a special part of our family."
As far as any future furry friends joining the fold, the couple tells us that they'll always choose rescuing an animal over buying one.
"If anything, it means a lot that we were able to rescue from 3,000 miles away [and] from Big Love Animal Rescue," Jon says. "We're so grateful for our close friends and manager Adriane and Nick for flying him home to us, that means so much."
"I'll always choose rescue over a breeder, and Big Love Animal Rescue has been so incredible helping us organize the pick up and paperwork," Stephanie adds. "And he is such a loving dog, I know his foster was amazing."
She continues, "Every animal deserves a loving home, but rescuing just feels more meaningful. Jon and I have always been the type to say, ‘Let's just do it,' no matter what we're jumping into, and we always follow through and do it well together."
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This story was originally published June 22, 2026 at 8:00 AM.