Julianne Hough Shares Somber Details About Her Dogs’ Funeral: ‘Felt Their Souls So, So Clearly’

Julianne recently revealed publically that her two dogs, Lexi and Harley, died in 2019 from a coyote attack

Julianne Hough is sharing more details about the deaths of her beloved dogs.

In an interview released on Sept. 24 for the podcast The Jamie Kern Lima Show, the Dancing with the Stars host, 36, recalled the frantic moments after she received the news in 2019 that her two dogs, Lexi and Harley, were killed by coyotes. She shared in the interview that she was in the Lake Tahoe area for a bachelorette party when the attack occurred and immediately flew back to L.A. once she heard the news from her assistant.

“I don’t even know how I got from Tahoe to L.A.,” Julianne recalled on the podcast while tearing up. “I blacked out completely, and I was, you know, anybody who knew me knew that they were my kids, and, like, went everywhere with them.”

“So when I had got [back], they had cleaned [the dogs] up, and they made an altar, and I was able to be with them and their bodies at least for like a day and a half before I went and cremated them,” she continued.

Related: Julianne Hough Says Seeing Her Ex-Husband and His Girlfriend at a Wedding Helped Her Feel ‘Fullness of Life’ (Exclusive)

The dancer and actress said that her brother Derek Hough was there at the funeral alongside the rest of her family, who “flew out” because they “knew” her canines were her “kids.” She noted that there “was so much love there” as she was going through a tough time.

“One, I’m so grateful they went together,” she added. “Two, I’m grateful that how [coyote attacks] happen is usually very quick and that we got their bodies.”

Julianne described reuniting with the dogs’ bodies as a “beautiful experience.” She shared that she had sprayed lavender on them to keep the postmortem stench at bay ahead of the funeral. When she and her family went to cremate the deceased canines, Hough said there was a moment in the car where she felt connected with Lexi and Harley again.

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“I had their collars and, like, a little piece of their hair on my heart,” she recalled. “I was laying in my car… and there’s the song from Gladiator at the very end when he passes on, and he goes into the heavens with his family, that song played.”

“My brother just stopped the car, and the sun was pouring in, and I was totally feeling them,” she explained. “They were kissing me and I was with them, and I felt their souls so, so clearly. And that was so beautiful.”

Related: Brooks Laich Mourns Wife Julianne Hough’s Dogs Lexi and Harley 6 Months After Their Deaths

The Safe Haven actress had Lexi and Harley for 11 and eight years, respectively, before their deaths. At the time of the dogs’ deaths, Hough paid tribute to her pups on Instagram, writing, “Thank you for the timeless memories. Thank you for your magic… Thank you for being my guardians on this earth and even more so now.”

Over the summer, the America’s Got Talent judge revealed she became a dog mom again, welcoming a new brown pup named Sunny.

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“Sunny, you have brought so much love and literal sunshine in to my life ☀️I can’t remember a time without you,” she captioned a sweet Instagram clip showing a montage of moments with the new canine.

“Lexi & Harley would have loved and played with you everyday and I know that they sent you to me, only when I was ready to open my heart and love again – you cracked me open sweetheart,” she added.

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