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Jun 23, 2026

Jon Gosselin and Wife Stephanie Introduce New Puppy After Beloved Dog Toby’s Death

Feature Jon Gosselin and Wife Stephanie Lebo Introduce New Puppy
Pixie Productions

Former reality TV star Jon Gosselin and his wife, Stephanie, 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 [through her friend Laura Labelle, the founder of Labelle Foundation], 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.”

How Jon Gosselin Included Stephanie Lebo s Daughter in Wedding Vows

Related: How Jon Gosselin Included Wife Stephanie Lebo's Daughter in Wedding Vows

Jon Gosselin incorporated wife Stephanie Lebo’s daughter into their wedding with a very special mention in his vows. “I promise to love you with conditions to lift you up when you’re tired, to laugh with you in joy and hold you in sorrow,” Gosselin, 48, said during his wedding ceremony, according to a video shared […]

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.”

Jon Gosselin and Wife Stephanie Lebo Introduce New Puppy 5
Pixie Productions

Lisa Arturo, founder of Big Love Animal Rescue, tells us that Theo — or Theodore — along with his sister, Eloise, and their mom, Maddie, were “abandoned and left at a shelter by someone who no longer wanted them.”

“When we learned about their situation, we knew we had to step in and save them,” Arturo explains. “We rescue dogs of all breeds, sizes and ages, but we have a particularly soft spot for pregnant moms and newborn puppies. We believe it’s incredibly important to get terrified pregnant dogs out of crowded shelters and into loving foster homes where they can safely give birth. When Theodore was ready to go to his forever home, we spoke to Stephanie and Jon and felt they were a perfect home for a puppy.”

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