Gwen Stefani’s family video opened with quiet glimpses of a dog who had been present through nearly two decades of changing lives. On September 5, the 56-year-old singer announced that Betty, the Rottweiler mix she shared with husband Blake Shelton, had passed away at age 18. The montage showed Betty resting beside Gwen, spending time with Blake, and enjoying affectionate moments with Kingston, Zuma, and Apollo. Other clips captured her roaming Shelton’s Oklahoma ranch and appearing in the couple’s “Nobody But You” music video. Gwen thanked Betty for the love and happiness she had brought into their home, saying the family would miss her forever. Yet Betty’s remarkable age left some fans wondering where her story had begun.
Only two weeks before the announcement, Gwen had brought the senior dog to one of Blake’s concerts. Betty relaxed inside the singer’s trailer wearing a handkerchief, with a comfortable bed nearby whenever she needed to rest. At the time, the outing looked like another ordinary family moment rather than a final public memory. Gwen later set her farewell montage to “Nobody But You,” the romantic duet she and Blake released in 2019. The music connected Betty to the couple’s shared life, but a 2020 interview revealed that the dog had known Blake long before Gwen joined the family—and their comments explained how quickly Betty chose her new favorite person.
Blake said Betty was originally his dog before he and Gwen began their relationship in 2015. He joked that she later became “Gwen’s dog” because the two formed such a close attachment, while Gwen responded that Betty loved both of her parents. No verified report establishes that the dog belonged to Blake’s former wife, and Betty’s age alone is not proof of another owner. Her story is better understood as a long transition from Blake’s companion to a cherished member of the blended Stefani-Shelton household. Caring for a pet across 18 years can require substantial emotional and financial investment, from veterinary treatment and insurance to housing decisions involving a lease or mortgage. Some families even include animals in an estate plan reviewed by an attorney, though nothing suggests Betty’s care involved any court dispute.
Gwen and Blake generally kept their animals away from constant publicity, but Betty occasionally appeared in photographs, television stories, and family videos. The couple also shares life with their dog Ginger and Corn Shelton, a cat who arrived at their home as a kitten in 2024. Betty’s cameo in “Nobody But You” gave audiences a brief look at the companion who had quietly connected different chapters of Blake’s life. She was there before the couple married in July 2021 and remained beside them as their household grew into a close blended family. Gwen’s farewell did not focus on celebrity history or past relationships. Its central message was much simpler: Betty had spent 18 years making the people around her smile, and the family wanted her remembered for the joy she gave them.