Getty Maksim Chmerkovskiy (L) and his brother Valentin Chmerkovskiy
“Dancing With the Stars” professional dancers and brothers Maksim and Valentin Chmerkovskiy shared some sad news with their followers on Thursday, April 28 — their beloved dog Sir Sleepalot has died.
Here is what the brothers had to say about the cherished family pet.
Maks Thanked His Canine Companion For An ‘Absolutely Incredible 13 Years’
In a series of photos posted to Instagram, Maks shared with his followers that Sir Sleepalot Chmerkovskiy has passed away at the age of 13.
Maks wrote:
Thank you for absolutely incredible 13 years in your company. I will never forget you and our time together. Rest easy my friend.
Sir Sleepalot Chmerkovskiy 2009 – 2022
One of the photos in the series was a screenshot of Maks’ very first Instagram post from back in 2012, which was a photo of “Sir Sleep” captioned, “Giving into the Instagram craze! Look who made my first post!”
The other two photos were of Maks with Sir Sleep, including one where the pooch was just a tiny puppy.
Maks’ younger brother Val posted his own series of photos with Sir Sleep and wrote, “RIP Sir Sleep A Lot” on Instagram.
The dog has made a number of appearances on the brothers’ social media over the years. Back in 2015, Maks posted a series of photos on Instagram of himself with Sir Sleep, saying that “a selfie with this guy is everything!”
And another photo revealed that the bulldog loved to munch on apples and cucumbers!
In 2019, Val blogged an adorable Instagram story on Tumblr where his small dog named Ziggy tried to take on Sir Sleep in a wrestling match. And in 2016, he posted a photo of Sir Sleep with their other dog, Goga.
The Condolences Are Pouring in From the ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Family
Famous friends, fellow “Dancing WIth the Stars” pros and celebrity contestants, and dozens of fans left their condolences or memories of the adorable bulldog on the Chmerkovskiy brothers’ posts.
“Oh nooooooooooooo! My heart just broke again after losing my mama two days ago. Omg. @valentin I’m so sorry,” wrote season 13 contestant Ricki Lake.
Erin Andrews, who not only hosted “Dancing With the Stars” for years but was also Maks’ dance partner in season 10, simply wrote, “Nooooooooo!!!!!”
“Sleeeeeepyyyy,” wrote Val’s wife and fellow pro dancer Jenna Johnson along with a broken-heart emoji.
“Someone asked me once ‘what’s the hardest thing about having a pet?’ My reply ‘the goodbye,'” wrote a fan.
Another fan added, “Our pets enrich our lives so much and leave a paw print on our heart where they are gone.”
“So sorry to see this, the heartbreak of losing our companions can be quite overwhelming,” wrote a third fan.
“I’m so sorry, sending hugs to you and your family. Sweet dog will always be with you,” wrote a fourth fan. Another added, “It’s very tough to go through. I wish you peace and gentle, caring memories.”
“Dancing With the Stars” returns for season 31 in the fall of 2022 on Disney Plus.
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