Kristin Cavallari is starting the new year with a heavy heart following the loss of her German Shepherd, Kona. Cavallari, who first rose to fame on MTV as the breakout star of “Laguna Beach,” shared the news on the Tuesday, January 13 episode of her podcast, “Let’s Be Honest with Kristin Cavallari.“
During the chat, the reality star revealed that she had to make the tough decision to put Kona down the day before recording her first episode of the new year.
Saying Goodbye After Nearly 12 Years Together
“God, it is so hard, the physical act of putting a dog down,” she said. “Even if you have made peace with it.” She added that it was her second time going through the experience, following the loss of her Yorkie.
Sharing details about her beloved family pet, she revealed that Kona was almost 12 years old, which she described as “great” for a German Shepherd. However, slowly, age had begun to catch up with her.
“She lived a great life. Kona was, up until the last few months, she was going on walks with us still,” she said on the podcast, as reported by People. “And I mean, she was kind of losing her eyesight and her hearing, but she still, she was hanging. And then, I don’t know, in the last five, six months, she just really took a downhill turn.”
Cavallari chose to spend her final week with Kona focused on comfort, love, and small indulgences, including chocolate, peanut butter, and steak.
Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images for 21Seeds Infused Tequila“If you guys haven’t experienced this before, it’s intense,” she said of the process. “I was laying there with her, and I was petting her. I’m gonna try really hard not to cry.”
Kids’ Heartbreak Made the Loss Even Harder
Losing a pet carries its own kind of heartbreak, and Cavallari said that pain deepened when she saw her children struggle to say goodbye to a dog they had grown up loving.
She shared that Kona’s death had a deep impact on her three children, who had spent most of their lives with the German Shepherd.
“Camden texted me, and he was like, ‘I can’t be here. Can you please come get me?’ ” she recalled, explaining that she picked up her 13-year-old son from school early.
“He got in my car and started bawling, crying… seeing Camden so sad. Oh my god, It just wrecked me. It wrecked me. This is like the first big death for them.”
Cavallari also shares son Jaxon, 11, and daughter Saylor, 10, with her ex-husband Jay Cutler.
Remembering Kona as a Protector and Family Constant
Cavallari shared that Kona came into her life during a time when she was managing life alone in Tennessee with three young children, while Cutler was playing football in Miami.
“I don’t think I slept at all when Jay was gone,” she said, reflecting on that period.
She explained that she adopted Kona, an adult German Shepherd, from a breeder who cautioned that the dog would be an “attack dog” with intense loyalty. Instead, Kona quickly settled into the family and formed a deep bond.
“Kona was immediately so sweet and loving with both Jaxon and I. And I immediately was just like, ‘This is my dog, man,’ ” Cavallari added.
“This is my girl. And she was. She was always, always my dog. Kona would follow me everywhere, and she always had eyes on me.”
Cavallari recalled a moment from Kona’s first night in the house, when the dog instinctively chose a spot close to the children’s rooms.
“That was such an incredible moment when I realized she was on the staircase. Because I just felt so safe,” she recalled.
“Finally, after months of not sleeping and being so worried about all of my babies upstairs, Kona just knew to sleep on that staircase to keep them safe. And it was the best feeling in the entire world. And so that was Kona in a nutshell, just the most badass, amazing dog on the planet.”
Cavallari said she plans to cremate Kona and spread her ashes in the family’s yard. While she currently has two other dogs, she shared that she is not ready to welcome another German Shepherd just yet.
“I’m not ready to pull the trigger just yet,” she said, adding that Kona’s presence will always remain part of their home and family story. You can listen to the whole conversation here.
