Cheryl Burke Wins Custody Battle Against Matthew Lawrence

It’s the news about the custody case between Cheryl Burke and Matthew Lawrence that we’ve all been waiting for. We now know for sure who gets to keep the dog. In September 2022, the couple’s divorce was finalized. Compared to most divorces on reality TV shows, theirs wasn’t too bad.

They stuck to what they said before they got married. There was no help for the spouse. The only thing that was still going on was a fight over who would get to keep their French bulldog, Ysabella. And now we know for sure who will keep her.

US Weekly said that court documents show that the person who used to be on Dancing with the Stars got full custody of their dog, Ysabella.

Cheryl Burke Wins Custody Battle Against Matthew Lawrence
Cheryl Burke Wins Custody Battle Against Matthew Lawrence

While the custody battle was going on, she talked about how she felt on her Burke in the Game podcast.“Ysabella is my daughter; I am a dog mom. I couldn’t even imagine my life without her. I could just cry right now,” Cheryl said.

The dog was a gift from Matthew at first. The dog was meant to test how well the two could take care of a child. Because of COVID-19, the couple decided to wait to have real children and instead focus on their pets.

But their relationship broke up because of the pandemic. They said that they couldn’t work things out because they had “irreconcilable” differences. In January 2022, they officially broke up. So, this fight over who would get the puppy should have ended long ago.

With the judge’s decision, Matthew has agreed to give up any paperwork or information about the dog.

Cheryl owns the whole thing. Some people might think it is silly to go to court and fight over a pet. But it sounds like Cheryl cared about Ysabella more than just as a dog. She was someone who helped me feel better.

Cheryl wrote an essay for US Weekly last year about how she and Matthew’s public divorce, her leaving Dancing with the Stars, and her continued sobriety all worked out for her. She mentioned Ysabella as a source of support in the essay.

“I have to give credit to my dog Ysabella for keeping me going a lot of the time,” Cheryl wrote in the essay. “Yep, I’m a full-blown ‘dog mom’ and not ashamed to say it!” She continued, “Going through a public divorce, there have been days where I wanted to just stay in bed and hide, and the idea of numbing my emotions with a vodka soda can sound pretty appealing.

But Ysabella has tons of energy and gets me outside to go for walks multiple times a day, she loves me to play with her and I honestly can’t imagine life without her by my side 24/7,”Cheryl added.

Cheryl can always be happy with her dog Ysabella now that the courts have ruled in her favor. Could you imagine if the courts said she and Matthew both had to take care of the dog and they had to figure out who could see the dog and when?

What do you think about the court case between Cheryl and Matthew over their dog? Do you have any words of support for Cheryl as this part of her life ends?