Kelsea Ballerini shared a few snapshots from her ongoing “tour prep” as she gets ready to kick off her first-ever headlining arena tour this month. The singer-songwriter’s post on Tuesday (January 14) also included a sweet glimpse of her dog, Dibs.

The last slide of Ballerini’s post on Instagram is a clip of Dibs, appearing to join Ballerini at her rehearsal. Off camera, the country star says: “Dibby, are you excited that mom’s going on tour? Dibby, are you gonna try to make some shows? Yeah, you are!” Ballerini recently FaceTimed her mom and Dibs during a concert in London. She and the crowd also acknowledged Dibs during an emotional moment at her album release show at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The Patterns artist announced in late August that Dibs was diagnosed with inoperable cancer in his heart. She said in an update last month that “sweet boy had another round of chemo today and is hanging tough. Truthfully, his original prognosis was 4 months. That was 4 months ago, but he’s still steady and happy, so every day is a gift and I’m a little extra grateful we get the holidays together this year. 🤍”

Ballerini’s post also offered behind-the-scenes glimpses of her tour rehearsals, the wardrobe and more. The arena tour kicks off on January 21 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It runs through early April, with the final show taking place in North Charleston, South Carolina, Ballerini’s tour announcement shows. The tour includes special guests Sasha Alex Sloan, Ashe, The Japanese House and MaRynn Taylor on select stops.

Ballerini’s arena tour arrives after she released her fifth studio album, Patterns, in October. The 15-track record includes “Sorry Mom,” “First Rodeo,” “Cowboys Cry Too” with Noah Kahan and more. Ballerini teamed up with Alysa Vanderheym, Little Big Town's Karen Fairchild, Jessie Jo Dillon and Hillary Lindsey to write and produce the album. Ballerini said when Patterns made its debut that she took “the beautiful and brutal look into myself and the people I love the most. The celebrations and challenges in the name of betterment, growth, and all around elevated vibes. The healthy habits that I hold close and the ones that gotta go.”

Jeff Benton