Kate Gosselin broke down in tears as she detailed the “strain” of adopting a dog.
Kate Gosselin / © TikTok
The toll of getting Malinois mix puppy Koda adjusted to her home, where she already has a German Shepherd named Meika, has been too much for the 51-year-old former TV personality.
On Tuesday (27.05.26), Kate said in a TikTok video: “I was just crying this morning. I’m tired. It’s getting to be a lot, which makes me sound like a baby, but the truth is, I’ve just been on watch constantly hoping nothing, you know, happens and watching them all the time.”
The star acknowledged that she successfully raised eight kids with her 49-year-old ex-husband, Jon Gosselin, but added: “I am 51 now. I’m not 29, 30. So it’s just gotten to be a lot.”
Kate described Koda – whom she adopted with her boyfriend-and-former bodyguard Steve Neild – as a “humongous personality”.
The TLC alum continued: “She is now very obsessed with her ball, equally as Meika, and she could run forever. So, we’re seeing the humongous energy of a malamute now, and I’m really starting to doubt myself.
“Everyone’s saying they need mental stimulation, as well as physical, but I can’t really get out treats and snuffle mats because the girls are still having trouble getting along with those things.”
Kate – who, in April, announced she got the adoption papers for Koda – admitted it can be hard managing the two dogs when she is on her own.
Kate went on: “Steve went to work, and so I’m with them today. And I always turn on Bob Ross painting when we’re on the TV, when we’re together. So I try to keep them calm, and I take them on walks.”
The Jon + Kate Plus 8 entertainer wept as she told how Koda tried to destroy a bed that belonged to her late German Shepard Nanuq, who died in December 2025.
Kate said: “It’s our favourite bed. I’ve had it for, gosh, 15 plus years or more. It’s very special to me, and she sleeps on it at night. It’s the bed we always keep in our room. That really upset me. That would really break my heart. And I know that things get destroyed.”
“She just has a lot of energy and needs to be doing something. I can see that plain as day. She’s very sweet, she’s very loving. I think she wants to obey, and she wants to please us; it’s just we have to direct her energy there.”
Kate ended the candid video by sharing her excitement over Koda starting training on Saturday (30.05.26), hoping the pooch’s behaviour will improve as a result.
She added: “But that is my update. Probably not as positive as we hoped, but the pressure is weighing on both of us, and the strain and the stress, which I know is part of rescue.
“But at the end of the day, probably no one else would have saved her. So, I know that we’re doing a good thing. We just have to hang in.”
Kate’s fans flooded the post’s comments section with love and support, as one penned: “I went through something really similar with my rescue.
“At first, I was overwhelmed and honestly wondered if I’d made a mistake. He was a good dog, just a lot.
“With time, patience, and routine, everything settled, and now I can’t imagine life without him. You’re not alone, it really does get better.”
A second supporter typed: “My rescue dog was a challenge, too. After 3 months, the behaviour changed, and now she is my best friend.
“It is a lot, and that’s why I feel like people return the dog without waiting the full three months to see the change. You got this. (sic)”
And a third follower wrote: “You got this! You will have these days, and it’s so overwhelming. I know you can do this. You are amazing and mindful. All my positive vibes!”
Kate and her ex-husband Jon have twins Mady and Cara, 25, and 21-year-old sextuplets Alexis, Hannah, Leah, Collin, Joel and Aaden.
