Aaron Donald repeatedly asked his former partner, Jaelynn Blakey, whether a French bulldog was inside her home weeks before he sought temporary sole physical custody of their two children.
Messages dated June 26 were published by TMZ as part of its coverage of the former couple’s court dispute. Donald opened the exchange by asking, “Is that dog back in that house?”
Blakey responded by asking why the children had not been returned according to an earlier plan. In the portion of the conversation released publicly, Donald did not answer that question and instead asked again whether the dog was still there.
The messages add new context to a disagreement that later reached Los Angeles Superior Court. Donald sought temporary sole physical custody while the dog remained in Blakey’s home, but the dispute ended with an Aug. 3 agreement under which Blakey permanently removed the animal and the parents returned to their previous co-parenting arrangement.
Donald Said the Dog Had Bitten Both Children
Donald said in the June exchange that he was not comfortable with the children staying in the house while the dog was present. He claimed the animal had bitten three people in the face, including both children he shares with Blakey.
His later court filing gave dates for the alleged incidents. Donald said the dog bit their daughter near the mouth in September 2023, later bit Blakey’s niece and then bit their son in the face in March 2026. Photographs that Donald submitted as evidence of the alleged injuries were included with the filing, according to the New York Post’s review of the case.
Donald maintained that Blakey had agreed after the incidents to remove the dog from the home. He said he later discovered that the animal had returned after spending time elsewhere.
“You said you got rid of the dog and it keep popping back up,” Donald wrote in the June exchange reproduced by TMZ. He added that there were other places where the animal could stay and argued that keeping it around children was unsafe.
Blakey Denied Hiding the Dog From Donald
Donald also alleged that Blakey had told their children not to inform him that the dog was back. Blakey explicitly rejected that accusation in a July 2 email to his attorneys.
“Why would I tell my children that when the dog moves freely and talk with their father daily at my home, and he can see for himself?” she wrote, according to TMZ. She said Donald had no evidence that she instructed the children to conceal the animal’s presence.
Blakey also disputed Donald’s assertion that she had previously agreed to remove the dog permanently. She said the animal had been taken away after an earlier incident but maintained that she never promised it could not return.
In her court declaration, Blakey described the French bulldog as a longtime family pet that had been with her since it was 10 weeks old. She also called the dog her emotional-support animal and said the children loved it and were not afraid of it.
Donald Wanted Sole Custody Only While the Dog Remained
Donald went to court in late July seeking temporary sole physical custody of the couple’s 13-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son. His request was conditional. He wanted the children to remain with him until the French bulldog was removed from Blakey’s residence.
Blakey argued in response that Donald was using child-safety concerns to take away a pet that had been part of the family for years. She said losing the dog would also affect her younger daughter, who is not Donald’s child.
A stipulation and order filed Aug. 3 recorded Blakey’s agreement to permanently remove the dog from her home. The same agreement allowed Donald and Blakey to return to the co-parenting arrangement they had used before the dispute.
The Dispute Was Resolved Before Donald Returned to the Rams
The Aug. 3 agreement came nearly four weeks before Donald officially ended his retirement and returned to the Los Angeles Rams on Aug. 30. Donald had retired in March 2024 after playing his first 10 NFL seasons with the Rams. The team formally announced his return Aug. 30, while NFL Network reported that he signed a one-year, $20 million contract that can reach $30 million with incentives.
His wife, Erica Donald, responded to the comeback with a joke on social media: “I let him out the house y’all.” Donald will have to wait a little longer for his first game back. The Rams announced this week that he will remain in Los Angeles rather than travel to Melbourne for their Sept. 10 season opener against the San Francisco 49ers as the team continues to build him back toward game condition.