The Baldwin family is mourning the loss of their beloved dog, Dama, Hilaria Baldwin has announced.
“Rest in peace, sweet Dama 💔. You brought so much joy to our lives…you were that dog that slept on my pregnant belly 😭🩷,” she captioned a carousel of photos of the family’s sweet dog shared via Instagram on Saturday, September 27. “Your life was long and happy. I know you are running though fields and eating all the cookies you want. We are sad but grateful that we had you in our lives ✨.”
The first photo in the series featured Hilaria’s husband, Alec Baldwin, with both Dama and a second pet. Other photos showed Dama curled on Hilaria’s shoulder or in the crook of her arm.
The news comes as Hilaria, 41, continues to battle it out on the 34th season of Dancing With the Stars. While speaking exclusively to Us Weekly on Tuesday, September 23, Hilaria admitted that “it’s hard” to balance competing on the show with her robust home life. (Hilaria and Alec, 67, share 7 children together: Carmen, Rafael, Leonardo, Romeo, Eduardo, Maria, and Ilaria. )
“One of my friends came out here. I have my two nannies out here that are really helping me, and that’s incredible,” Hilaria told Us of how she managed it all with the help of family and friends. “[My husband] Alec [Baldwin] is doing a movie somewhere, so he’s coming and going, and I have a great community here.”
Having help, paid or unpaid, doesn’t mean she’s not a hands-on mom. In fact, Hilaria also admitted she was up with her 7-year-old at 1 a.m. due to a nightmare — only hours before she earned a 21 out of 30 on Tuesday’s One-Hit Wonders Night.
“It’s show day, but it doesn’t matter. I have to go into the room and bring him in,” she told Us. “We’re balancing all of this, but ultimately I’m mom No. 1.”
Though maintaining the balance can be tough, Hilaria also said that she hopes her children are inspired by her work ethic and the joy she gets from appearing on the series.
“I think it’s a really good example for them to learn that they can follow their dreams,” she explained. “I’m happy that they’re able to see me happy. It’s been a hard past few years, and I think that they need to see their mom with this kind of joy.”
Hilaria also recently got a lot of public support from her stepdaughter, Ireland Baldwin. On September 4, Ireland, 29, defended Hilaria from detractors.
“I wanted to take a second to talk about my step mom @hilariabaldwin. I think if people actually knew her the way I do, they would be quite surprised,” Ireland, 29, wrote via Instagram. She added that despite what some people online think and say, she was not “playing nice so I can secure my inheritance.”
“C’mon, people. I see the comments. I’m not getting an inheritance. I have 7 siblings 😂,” she joked.
“These thoughts have been on my mind since I last visited her on the east coast. Hilaria has had a far more complex and chaotic upbringing than she lets on and I think that’s why we’ve maybe bonded in some ways?” Ireland continued. “She didn’t always feel safe and seen. Sometimes, she is too loyal to a fault. She is eccentric and totally bat s*** crazy (in a fun way) but she saved my dad’s life. She turned his health around and has shown him the forgiveness and kindness that he needed.”
Dancing With the Stars airs on ABC and Disney+ Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET.
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