Julianne Hough, Brooks Laich mourn heartbreaking deaths of their dogs: 'Love you forever'

Hannah Yasharoff, USA TODAY

Julianne Hough and Brooks Laich revealed they're mourning the death of their two dogs in heartbreaking Instagram posts Saturday.

"Pure love is real, it existed through us," Hough, 31, wrote in a caption alongside several photos and videos of Lexi and Harley, two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels that died Sept. 28. Neither Hough nor Laich specified the nature of their deaths.

"My heart expanded and felt the truth of what is possible," Hough continued. "I am forever grateful. Thank you for your love."

Lexi and Harley were born in 2008 and 2011, respectively. Hough brought them into the spotlight in 2013, when they joined her at a photo shoot for a Purina campaign to celebrate National Bring Your Pet to Work Day.

Julianne Hough posed with dogs Lexi and Harley at a Purina campaign photo shoot in 2013.
Julianne Hough posed with dogs Lexi and Harley at a Purina campaign photo shoot in 2013.

"Thank you for being my babies, my daughters," Hough wrote. "Thank you for choosing me. Thank you for teaching me how to be your mother.

"Thank you for allowing me to give and receive love. Thank you for your kisses. Thank you for your blessings every single minute of every single day. Thank you for your souls. Thank you for protecting me. Thank you for letting me protect you. Thank you for protecting each other. Thank you for the timeless memories. Thank you for your magic."

Laich, 36, also shared a post Saturday thanking family and friends for helping the couple "grieve and mourn," and thanking Hough for "allowing me to share in their world, and trusting me to be their dad." The couple got engaged in 2015 and married two years later.

"The past 2 weeks have been filled with tears of sorrow, and tears of joy," wrote Laich, a professional hockey player. "The immense pain we feel by their loss is due to the overwhelming love we had for them. Every single beautiful part of them will be missed, but we trust that they are in a better place now, and can still feel their presence in our hearts."

View this post on Instagram

Pure love is real, it existed through us. My heart expanded and felt the truth of what is possible. I am forever grateful. Thank you for your love. Thank you for being my babies, my daughters. Thank you for choosing me. Thank you for teaching me how to be your mother. Thank you for allowing me to give and receive love. Thank you for your kisses. Thank you for your blessings every single minute of every single day. Thank you for your souls. Thank you for protecting me. Thank you for letting me protect you. Thank you for protecting each other. Thank you for the timeless memories. Thank you for your magic. Thank you for being the most consistent and constant beings in my life. Thank you for being you. Thank you for being my guardians on this earth and even more so now. I’ve never experienced a love like ours. I miss you I love you forever Now You Are Free Lexi July 21 2008 - September 28 2019 Harley March 28 2011 - September 28 2019

A post shared by Julianne Hough (@juleshough) on Oct 12, 2019 at 9:57am PDT

Hough concluded: "Thank you for being the most consistent and constant beings in my life. Thank you for being you. Thank you for being my guardians on this earth and even more so now. I’ve never experienced a love like ours. I miss you. I love you forever. Now You Are Free."

View this post on Instagram

It is with the heaviest heart that I share with you the passing of our beloved dogs Lexi and Harley. Their tragic passing has left my wife and I heartbroken. Lexi and Harley were not just pets to us, they were our children, and we loved them as such. They were the purest example of love that I have ever seen. They showed me that true love did exist in the world. The way they loved their mom @juleshough and the way she loved them back was the first time I knew that there was hope for me to have love in my life. And they accepted me into their little family, and helped me become a dad for the first time. The past 2 weeks have been filled with tears of sorrow, and tears of joy. The immense pain we feel by their loss is due to the overwhelming love we had for them. Every single beautiful part of them will be missed, but we trust that they are in a better place now, and can still feel their presence in our hearts. I want to thank the many people who have helped see us through the past 2 weeks. The outpouring of love and support we have received from our family and friends has helped heal our hearts. I am eternally grateful for everyone who has held space for my wife and I to grieve and mourn. There are too many names to list, but you all know who you are, and know that we couldn’t have made it through this without each and everyone of you. In the most sincere way possible, thank you very much. Thank you to @kristysowin, @derekhough, and @camilaforeroo for going above and beyond what we could ever imagine asking of you. There simply are no words to express our gratitude, we love you deeply and are so grateful for you. Thank you to my wife for allowing me to share in their world, and trusting me to be their dad. I wasn’t perfect, but I loved them with every ounce of my heart. And thank you Lexi and Harley, for teaching me grace, softening my heart, and showing me love. You are perfect, and may you Rest In Peace. ❤️🐶🐼🐺💑❤️

A post shared by Brooks Laich (@brookslaich) on Oct 12, 2019 at 10:01am PDT

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Julianne Hough shares heartbreaking post after losing her two dogs