Left: Rusell Brand, Right: Jessica Alba

Case Studies: Celebrities and their Pets

We all know celebrities for the larger-than-life image that they portray to the general public and the press. But a lesser-known fact about celebrities is that many of them are dedicated rescuers of pets. Here are a few examples of celebrities and their pets and how they came to adopt them.

Selena Gomez

This celebrity is a serial rescuer. She rescued her sixth puppy in 2011. In an interview, she was very modest about it, but it is just what she does. She named her latest baby ‘Baylor’ and the names of her other five dogs that she has adopted are Willie, Wallace, Fina, Chip and Chazz.

Charlize Theron

Award-winning actor, Charlize Theron is an avid animal advocate. Having grown up on a farm in South Africa, Theron developed a love for less-fortunate animals. She was involved in collecting strays from an early age – dogs, cats, ducks, birds and sheep among others, so in her celebrity life, adopting dogs comes as second nature to her. Presently she has four dogs, the latest being Tucker, a mixed breed like the others.

Charlize claims she loves her dogs as much as her own son: “They’re all my children. I know people get weirded out when people talk that way about their animals, but love is love and care is care, and just because one needs a diaper and the other does not doesn’t mean you don’t have a deep feeling for them.”

Hilary Swank

The Million Dollar Baby star Hilary Swank adores her two mixed-breed pooches, and is seen taking them with her wherever she travels. She is a great fan of pet adoption, and in her own words, Swank says, “…when you think about the statistics, to me, there is no other option but to adopt.” Her two fur babies are Rumi, a Golden Retriever mix, and Kai, a Beagle-Terrier cross.

Zooey Deschanel

Actress, singer-songwriter and model, Deschanel is better known for the films that she has acted in, Mumford, Failure to Launch and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy being a few of the better known ones. When she went to the Bill foundation with her boyfriend to adopt a puppy for her birthday, she selected a pooch called dot. But the volunteers at the shelter told her that Dot only came along with her recently reunited sister Zelda, so she ended up with two doggies, which are the apples of her eye.

Kristen Bell

This actress well-known for her role in Frozen has two adopted fur babies, Lola and Mr Shakes. On first adopting Lola, Bell went to the shelter again, to adopt a companion for Lola. She ended up adopting and saving Mr Shakes, who was to be euthanised the next day. Kristen Bell on a YouTube video Rescue Waggin’, Tales from the Road, makes a profound statement: “I think its something that people don’t realise when they’re thinking of getting a dog is that dogs and cats, and any domesticated animal are vastly overpopulated. So, there is a much higher percentage of dogs that need homes than have homes.

So if you are going to a breeder, what you are doing is creating more of the problem by buying new, when there are thousands and thousands of shelter pets in your area that are delicious (pats her doggies) and just waiting for someone to take them in. I dare you to go to your local shelter, because you will find your best friend waiting for you!”

Giving them a Second Chance

Now we see, there is a humane side to celebrities, who are on the side of these abandoned pooches, and have saved countless dogs to give them the chance that they deserve. After all, they are Man’s best friend, aren’t they?