Celebrities like Chris Evans and Ariana Grande are avid supporters of adoption, embodying their advocacies by giving rescue pets a fresh start and loving homes.
Pet adoption is becoming more common in this day and age, and that’s a wonderful thing. It not only gives animal lovers a chance to meet their furry soulmate, but also provides a loving home to pets who’ve likely experienced very challenging lives. Many celebrities have used their large platforms to voice their support for adoption, and have shown their dedication to the advocacy by adopting rescue pets themselves.
These famous figures vouch that having a rescue pet can truly change a person’s life just as much as it changes an animal’s life. Below are five figures who encourage their fans to adopt, not shop:
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Chris Evans
Chris Evans is one of the more vocal celebrities when it comes to pet adoption, a passion that he largely attributes to the rescue of his own dog Dodger, who touches his life everyday. The star adopted Dodger back in 2015, and since then, the two have been inseparable companions, reports Jeff Conway for Forbes.
The star has posted adorable videos and pictures of his pup on Instagram, including the day they first met. “I had no intention of rescuing a dog that day, but the minute I saw him I knew he was coming home w[ith] me,” the star wrote. “There are so many loving animals at shelters who are in desperate need of a home. Visit a shelter and leave with a best friend.”
A boxer mix-breed, Dodger is now a happy pup in the arms of Captain America himself—with Evans even starting a recent partnership with Jinx premium dog food and treats as its brand ambassador.
Tom Holland
Evans’ fellow Marvel actor Tom Holland also shares a special connection with his rescue Staffordshire bull terrier, Tessa. Holland posts frequent updates of his sweet pooch on Instagram, and often brings her to sets when he’s filming movies. He has nothing but good things to say about his fur baby, describing her as “brilliant” and his “best friend” in an interview with Dogs Monthly.
According to Karen B. London of The Wildest, Holland adopted Tessa in 2014, and has been a staunch advocate of rescue pets since then. He’s even seen helping Stephen Colbert get puppies adopted in his special “Rescue Dog Rescue” segment.
“Every time I hear of a dog needing a home, I am tempted to put my hand up and say, ‘Over here!’ But I know that is not possible,” he tells Dogs Monthly. “I think it is great that more and more people are giving homes to rescue dogs and I know a lot of actors who take rescue dogs. Dogs are innocent and have as much right to a nice home as anyone else.”
Sandra Bullock
Academy award-winning actress Sandra Bullock is also a big animal-lover, and someone who opens her arms to rescue pets with special needs like her two beloved pooches, Poppy and Ruby. Sadly, both of them passed away just a few weeks apart in 2018, which left Bullock feeling devastated, writes Aili Nahas of People. Nahas adds that Poppy was a Chihuahua-Pomeranian mix who lost one of her legs in an accident, while Ruby (also a mixed-breed) only had two legs.
“Too many people are always looking for the perfect pet, but [she’s] the type who doesn’t get caught up in how the dog looks,” explained Sylvia Gyimesi, a shelter employee, to People in a separate feature.
“You know, it’s life,” Bullock told Ellen DeGeneres in an interview, “But when you lose your little rides-or-die, it makes things different.” DeGeneres also highlighted how Bullock made a $100,000 donation to the Humane Society International after losing her dogs. Fortunately, Bullock gave a loving home to a two-year-old rescue poodle, reports Kristen Lopez for Yahoo News, so her story ends on a happy note.
Ariana Grande
Pop sensation Ariana Grande has a large paw-mily with an impressive 10 rescue dogs by her side. Grande has always been a big supporter of animal adoption, and even co-founded “Orange Twins Animal Rescue” in 2020: a non-profit animal rescue based in Los Angeles, writes Rania Aniftos for Billboard.
As for her gang of canines, they’re names are Coco, Toulouse, Cinnamon, Strauss, Lafayette, Pignoli, Myron, Snape, and Lily, reports Nicole Moore of Woof Republic. Her pooch Myron was actually the fur baby of her ex and friend, Mac Miller, who sadly died in 2018—so, Grande took it upon herself to adopt his beloved dog and ensure Myron would remain in a good home. Meanwhile, her dog Toulouse is quite the star, having modeled in the 2015 Coach fashion campaign “Coach Pups.”
Queen Camilla
Though Queen Camilla of the U.K. isn’t technically a star or famous musician, like the rest of the British royal family, she’s quite the celebrity in her own right. She also happens to strongly support animal adoption, as her two jack russell terriers, Bluebell and Beth, are rescue dogs themselves. The queen consort loves the pooches so much that she even had designer Bruce Oldfield embroider them onto the hem of her coronation gown, according to Emily Burack of Town & Country.
The queen adopted the jack russells from the famous Battersea Dogs and Cats Home in South London in 2011 (for Beth) and 2012 (for Bluebell), reports Alexis Jones of People. The royal has also been a patron of the home since 2017, according to Lydia Stangroom of Country Life.
“Beth came from a family who could no longer care for her and poor Bluebell had been found abandoned in the woods, three weeks old, starving, covered in sores, with a docked tail and just a few patches of fur,” Queen Camilla wrote in an introduction to Georgina Montagu’s book Top Dogs: A British Love Affair, as quoted by Town & Country. She continued: “They are both colorful characters – and now I cannot imagine my life, my home or my sofas without them.”
Though these terriers experienced hard lives, they’ve certainly found a wonderful home after everything, which highlights just how special adoption can be.
Banner photo via Instagram @chrisevans.
