Derek Hough's dog Romie has died: DWTS judge shares emotional goodbye

Dancing With the Stars judge Derek Hough and his wife, Hayley Erbert, are mourning the death of their dog, Romie. Hough shared the news on Instagram on Sunday, Oct. 25, in a video tribute to the rescue dog he said had been with him through most of his adult life.

“14 years by my side. I miss you so much already. My heart aches. Goodbye my son. My Romie boy,” read the text on the video, according to TV Insider.

The post did not say how or exactly when Romie died.

Derek Hough’s tribute to Romie

In the caption, Hough described Romie as a constant from a time when he was still finding his way.

“Romie came into my life when I was just trying to figure life out, it was just me and him,” he wrote, as quoted by TV Insider and Entertainment Now. “He saw me at my worst and at my best. He loved me through it all and somehow gave me purpose when I couldn’t find it myself.”

He said Romie watched him “grow up, fall in love, become a husband.” He added that when the dog “started to get tired, I asked him to hold on so he could meet his little sister, and he kept his promise. He held on.” Hough and Erbert welcomed their first child, daughter Everley Capri Hough, in December 2025, TV Insider noted.

Hough also wrote that “waking up without him feels unreal,” and that he keeps looking at the spot where Romie used to come around the bushes. He closed with, “There’s an ache that feels unbearable. But it’s also proof that love lived here fully… Goodbye for now my sweet sweet Romie Boy.”

Romie’s health had been declining

The loss did not come without warning. Entertainment Now reported that Hough had talked about Romie slowing down and resting more, and that about a week earlier he posted an emotional video about learning to let go.

“I’m going through something right now where I’m having to let go and it’s been very emotional,” the 41-year-old said in that video, according to Entertainment Now. “Just trying to find the beauty in everything I’m looking at.”

Fans and friends react

Followers and Dancing With the Stars colleagues filled the comments with condolences. “There is no loss like that of our fur babies. No time is ever enough,” one person wrote, according to TV Insider.

The Houghs are known animal lovers. Entertainment Now reported that the family also has another dog, Luna, and three cats, Palo, Lily and Otis.

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