HGTV / YouTube Chelsea Houska
Former “Teen Mom 2” cast member Chelsea Houska took to Instagram earlier this morning, March 10, to share the heartbreaking news that her dog, Phil, has passed away.
“Grateful for 9 years with this boy. 🌈” Houska captioned her post, which featured a montage of photos and videos of Houska, her husband Cole DeBoer, and their children Aubree, Watson, Layne, and Walker all cuddling and playing with Phil over the last nine years.
“We love you Phil ❤️” DeBoer commented on his wife’s post.
Chelsea Houska Just Celebrated Phil’s 9th Birthday
Friends, family, and fans shared their condolences and messages of love for Phil in the comment section of Houska’s Instagram post.
“The fact that we almost always outlive our pets is the most painful part. The good part is that the honor of having their companionship far outweighs the pain of their passing,” Houska’s father Randy wrote.
“Oh my gosh. I’m so sorry. Cannot believe it’s been nine years. Thinking of y’all 🤍 🕊️ 🌈” fellow “Teen Mom 2” alumna Kailyn Lowry added.
Houska took a moment in February to mark Phil’s ninth birthday in her Instagram story, sharing a photo of her daughter Aubree hugging the black-and-white spotted Great Dane at the time. Fans on Reddit remarked at the time how impressive it was for Phil to make it to such an old age for his breed, as Great Danes’ average lifespan is eight to ten years.
Another Reddit user shared Houska’s latest post about Phil’s passing and many users shared their condolences, with one user writing, “This is so sad. Losing pets is hard. Great Danes have such a short life span, too. I’m glad he had a nice life full of love,” and another user adding, “Oh man. It’s so hard when a family pet dies. Aubree [who turned 13 in September 2022] probably doesn’t even remember much of her life without Phil. It’s gonna be a hard day at the DeBoer household.”
Chelsea Houska Has 2 Other Dogs
Despite losing their Great Dane, Phil, the DeBoers have many other animals in their family. Their other dogs include a French Bulldog, Betsy, and a Lemon Bassett Hound, Dale, who they brought home in 2021.
In addition to their dogs, the DeBoer family has all sorts of farm animals, which they like to give “grandpa names”. The family already has five goats: Trudy, Terry, Dixie, and Lou, as well as a newborn baby goat whose name has not been revealed yet. They also have four Miniature Scottish Highland cows named Nelson, Steve, Todd, and Henry, one sheep named Gary, a pig named Pete, two alpacas named Doug and Dewey, and a host of cats, chickens, and turkeys.
When the DeBoer family first got their pig, Pete, in 2015, the two developed a close bond, with Houska sharing multiple posts of her two animals interacting. One post from May 2015 shows Phil sitting on her lap and looking over at Pete, and an August 2015 post shows the two animals snuggling together on the family’s couch, with the caption, “Pete loves his giant pillow, Phil!”