Cheryl Burke Becomes Primary Caretaker Of Pet Dog After Divorce

Cheryl Burke might not be dancing with the stars anymore, but she will be dancing with her dog for a very long time!

The pro dancer, whose divorce from her ex-husband Matthew Lawrence was finalized sometime around September last year, was forced to look forward to more time in court to settle one last thing — ownership of their pet dog. Heartbroken, she was prepared to fight for her baby till the actor suddenly changed his mind by choosing to drop the case.

After months of anxiety over whether she would get to keep her canine, the star can finally breathe a sigh of relief as it looks like she will be the official mom to her dog, seeing as she was awarded all ownership rights.

Her estranged husband decided to choose peace and let it all go, ending the long, drawn-out battle that would have caused more stress to the both of them. According to documents obtained by TMZ, the "Dancing With The Stars" alum and the 42-year-old struck a deal concerning who would be Ysabella's primary caretaker.

Lawrence agreed to give up all documents and data in his possession pertaining to the French bulldog, including the title of "pet parent" for the Home Again service they once shared. This means that the trial that was initially scheduled to take place was canceled, with all discovery withdrawn.

Burke also took to her Instagram page to celebrate the win with a three-slide post. She could be seen walking Ysabella along a river bank, and they stopped to take in the beauty of nature on one of the slides. The post was captioned:

"Officially a FULL TIME dog mom… 2023, we’re off to a great start!"

The closeness between herself and the dog is undeniable, as earlier, she had taken to her Instagram page to share pictures from a Christmas photo shoot. The post with the caption, "Merry Christmas from my girl, Ysa & me. Sending you all so much love on this holiday! ❤️ #dogmom," was accompanied by images of both posed on a soft white rug for the camera. 

The following slide showed the pair lying down peacefully beside each other, while the next saw Ysa wrapped in gold ribbons. Fans loved the pictures, writing, "Merry Christmas ? beautiful sunshine and your puppy ysa. Be safe, and have a great weekend. God bless ?" 

Another user gushed, "Puppy love could quite literally be the most profound love. Ever!" One follower noted, "I see you are now Ysa emotional support human." 

The author looked really at peace beside her pet which explains why she initially stated that she was very hurt about the possible trial. The Blast shared that Burke was reportedly in her feelings about the fact that she might give the Frenchie up.

During her iHeart podcast "Burke in the Game," the 38-year-old declared herself a dog mom and that Ysabella was her daughter who she would not give up without a fight. While recalling how she learned of her divorce, she said:

"It's still not over because we have to maybe go to trial — well, we are going to go to trial, unless [Lawrence] all of the sudden calls it off. That will happen in January. I'm still just really hurt by the whole situation."

The podcaster emotionally stated that she could not imagine life without her, adding, "I could just cry right now."

The former couple was married for three years before filing for divorce in 2021, and it looks like Lawrence is already moving on with a new heartthrob – TLC's Chilli. It might be hard to adjust to the news as the TV host has not been linked to anyone since their divorce was finalized in September last year. 

So it looks like she might have thrown shade at the "Boy Meets World" star going by what she posted on her Instagram story. The Blast noted that the pro dancer wrote the words "That was fast…" over a black screen while the song, "Boy's a liar" by Pink Pantheress played.  

Burke created the post just hours after a rep for the singer, Christal Jordan, confirmed the relationship. In Fact, rumors had begun going around about the new lovebirds towards the end of 2022 before being confirmed in the first week of January.

Us Weekly also shared that initially, after three months of seeing each other, the pair claimed to be just friends. They were also spotted together on a romantic trip to Hawaii during the summer.