When it comes to trends and style in the world of fashion, nobody knows what’s hot and what’s not better than Joan Rivers, and the one thing that will always be in fashion with the comedienne / talk show host / entrepreneur is her love of animals.
“I can’t imagine what life would be like without my dogs,” said Joan. “I spoil them rotten too. They are a major part of everything I do. ” Joan has a Boston Terrier and two Norwich Terriers. Spike, Veronica and LuLu are Joan’s biggest fans and she is theirs.
“These animals fill my house with joy and my heart with love,” Joan said. “I even sleep with them. They all have their sleeping territory staked out and I just try to fit somewhere in the mix.”
Joan frequently takes her four-legged pals on the set with her. And if you want to stay on the star’s good side, have a pocket full of gourmet doggie biscuits at the ready, because this is one funny lady who sees nothing funny about people who aren’t fond of pets. “Anyone who doesn’t like animals, unless they’re allergic to them, is a person you should be wary of,” Joan insisted. “Two things I always am aware of are how people dress and how they treat animals.”
For Joan, who lives in New York, fashion is a 24-hour, 7-day-a-week commitment for herself and her dogs. This Emmy Award-winning TV personality has some definite thoughts on what the well-dressed canine should wear when they’re out for a walk or a night on the town.
“Dogs like fashion too,” explained Joan. “They know when they’re looking good. Since they don’t have credit cards it’s up to us to help them accessorize.” Beyond the doggie sweaters, animal caps, and matching booties, the trendsetter of the Big Apple also tends to use man’s best friend as a fashion accessory. Joan sees this as a perfectly acceptable way to get attention while strolling down 5th Avenue.
“Oh sure, a lot of ladies will use their dogs to get attention and to show off their designer clothes,” Joan said. “I think it’s wonderful for owner and dog to play dress up and go for a walk. The way the animal looks is an extension of its owner’s personality. You can tell a lot about a person by the way their dog looks. If your dog is well groomed and looks presentable, that means the owner is responsible and probably stays well groomed. However, if the dog is a mess, then so is its owner.”
Although Joan and her globetrotting hounds bounce from studio-to-studio and cost to coast, home is where the statue of liberty hangs her crown. The always-stylish super star loves life in the big city and her dogs are likewise accustomed to sidewalks instead of parks. While Joan says New York is the greatest place in the world to call home, she admits that California has some attributes that can put her dogs tail’s to wagging.
“West Coast dogs are much more lucky than dogs who live in New York,” Joan admitted. “In California dogs have so many places to run and play. They have the beaches and parks with real trees. In the city they’ve got trees — of course they’re spray painted on the side of buildings, so it’s not quite the l”same. In LA they can play catch in a nice green yard. If they need exercise in New York they chase cabs.”
Joan likes to show off her pampered pooches whenever possible; this includes guests shots on her show and other personal appearances. “Oh Spike has been on quite a few shows with me,” Joan said. “We’ve been on the Carson show together, and of course he’s been on my show and he and LuLu were on QVC and helped me sell jewelry.”
And sell jewelry they did. Joan and her two helpers sold an unprecedented record-breaking 160 million dollars worth of babbles from the Joan Rivers Classics Jewelry Collection.
Joan is one of the hardest working women in the business. This hard-charging talker recently added another credit to her incredible resume. “The Joan Rivers Show,” two hours of talk radio, airs from 7-9pm on WOR in New York and is nationally syndicated in more than 40 markets. For Joan it’s just another feather in her show biz war bonnet.
by Terry Wilson
Terry Wilson is a freelance television producer and writer based in San Diego, California.