Each year our Animal Fair readers look forward to animal awards season and there is no list like our Most Eligible Pets. Our Most Eligible Pets are the Oscars, Emmys or Grammies of the animal world and the competition is always tough with past winners including the pets of Miley Cyrus, Felicity Huffman, Glenn Close and Perez Hilton. But the polls are closed and our readers have voted and 2010’s line-up of eligible pets belong to some major players in fields from sports, law, music, acting and comedy. So without further ado, we present to you Animal Fair’s Most Eligible Pets of 2010!
Oscar-winner Sandra Bullock is a true gem. As one of the hardest working actresses in Hollywood, with three films out last year alone, few people know that she is one of those rare, genuine animal lovers. But the secret is out because our readers voted Bullock’s dogs as this year’s Most Eligible Pets by a landslide! Bullock adopted her three-legged pooch, Poppy, a Chihuahua-Pomeranian mix, back in 2006 from a Long Beach Rescue. When a Southern California woman heard she had adopted a handicapped dog, she phoned Bullock with the news that she had a two-legged Chihuahua mix who also needed a home. Bullock touted, “Any dog that is missing something is welcome in our house,” and agreed to rescue Ruby, who she describes as a “little dinosaur, a Velociraptor,” because she walks on her hind legs. Bullock is also the pet-parent of Kernie, a Lab. All three pets sleep with Bullock in bed, but she doesn’t mind. Bullock takes her dogs everywhere with her, joking with reporters, “Who is going to walk a two-legged dog?” She has even installed special seat belts in her car to protect the dogs. Call her an over-protective pet-parent, but Bullock was hit by a drunk driver in 2008. Not to mention Bullock lost all her dogs in a plane crash some 10 years ago because they were stored as cargo. Despite this tragedy, there is however cause for joy in the Bullock house as Sandra brings 31/2 year old Louis Bardo Bullock into the fold. Ruby, Poppy, and Kernie are going to have to roll over to accommodate the latest addition to the Bullock bedroom. Considering the commitment and care Bullock has been seen to show her canine kids, she is sure to make an excellent mother to an extremely lucky child.
E! comedy queen and best-selling author Chelsea Handler is known for many things: her comedy, her charisma, her recent Playboy spread and her no-nonsense humor reminiscent of biting Brits. But now Handler can now add eligible pet parent to that list thanks to her rescue, Chunk. Chunk was chosen as one of this year’s most eligible pets because of his amazing rescue story, demonstrating his mother’s true kindness, despite her sometimes-biting tongue. Chunk was rescued by Handler after a friend of hers showed her a photo of him, telling her Chunk would be red-lined if no one adopted him. Now, Chunk’s eligibility will help him skyrocket to super stardom. Handler has already featured Chunk on the cover of her new book, Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang, out this March. But not everyone is happy with Chunk’s addition to the Handler team. Handler has hinted that Chelsea Lately co-host Chuy has some jealous issues, tweeting: “I just caught Chunk sleeping on Chuy’s bean bag. Somebody is pissed.”
Next on our list is world-renown doglebrity, Portuguese Water Dog, Bo Obama. Bo was a gift to the Obama family from the Kennedy’s after months of searching for the right hypoallergenic breed, a requirement due to First Daughter, Malia’s, allergies. Bo is a real-deal eligible pet. He’s the First Dog, has his own White House issued baseball card (available by sending a self-addressed stamped envelope to the White House), has written for the New York Times (with Ben Greenman’s help), is allowed inside the oval office and has even high-fived Oprah herself. Bo’s favorite food is tomatoes and he most recently celebrated his first snowstorm in Washington. And at the end of the day, Bo’s position as most eligible is not likely to slip. At Bo’s press conference, President Obama emulated Truman’s famous quote: “If you want a best friend in Washington, get a dog.”
It seems like everything Oprah touches turns into gold. But when she adopts puppies, they don’t turn to gold, they make our Most Eligible Pets list. This year to commemorate her 56th birthday (let’s not go there in dog years), Oprah got herself not one but two gifts: two 14 week old Springer Spaniel puppies! And these pups are exceedingly eligible because they were adopted from PAWS, a no-kill shelter in the Chicago area. Oprah had always wanted to add Springer Spaniels to her brood, and when she got the phone call from the shelter, she couldn’t have been more elated – they arrived in the shelter just in time for her birthday! Sunny and Lauren have already appeared on Oprah’s television show and will continue to reap the rewards of being eligible pets and that goes for the other siblings in their litter too. Oprah reportedly already added another Spaniel to her family, Trent, adopted from a good friend. And you know Oprah has friends in high places!
This most eligible cat blew up to mega stardom as quickly as her human parent. If you’ve heard the name Susan Boyle (and chances are you have), then you’ve heard of her best friend, and biggest support structure: her ten year old cat, Pebbles. Boyle became a global, household name, thanks in part to over 100 million views of her Britain’s Got Talent performance on YouTube. Despite her wild, immediate success Boyle came in second in the talent competition and was rushed to a private clinic to treat her exhaustion from the whirlwind journey. At the clinic it was Pebbles who Boyle cried out for, no one else. Fortunately Boyle was released from the hospital and no longer has to worry about her public perception. With the largest debut album for a female ever, now having sold over 3.4 million albums, Boyle still remains true to Pebbles. After a recent home invasion scare, Simon Cowell offered Boyle a luxury vacation to avoid another incident. Did Boyle accept? No. She chose to stay home with Pebbles.
It seems like there’s nothing that can stop country sweetheart Taylor Swift (including Kanye West). But behind every strong woman there’s an eligible pet. In Swift’s case, it’s her Miniature Pincher named Bug. Bug is Swift’s protector, telling CMT that “he’s like an attack dog, only smaller,” but when you’re the dog of country music’s Entertainer of the Year, you might need some protection yourself. We do hope Bug is doing a good job protecting Swift’s four Grammy Awards from 2010.
German Shepherd mix Cora may be eligible, but that doesn’t mean she’s not looking. When asked what celebridog Cora would want to date, her father, Mad Men actor Jon Hamm responded, “Jake Gyllenhaal’s dog, he has a nice looking German Shepherd.” Cora was adopted from LA’s famed Much Love Rescue by celebrity couple Hamm and writer/actress Jennifer Westfeldt. Cora has gotten a certain reputation around Hollywood, not only visiting her father on the set of his hit series, but also cruising the Hollywood dog park, which Hamm calls “a hot spot.” Who knows, maybe one day Cora will run into, or even end up sniffing Gyllenhaal’s dog after all.
It is no secret that recently-wed Jane Lynch is Hollywood’s latest hot commodity. That must be why our readers voted the Glee star’s brood of pets as eligible. Lynch and Doctor Lara Embry of Sarasota Florida married this past Memorial Day in Sunderland Massachusetts at the Blue Heron Restaurant where they celebrated their union with a short ceremony followed by a lavish feast. The reception was described as intimate and jazzy and the couple cannot seem more comfortable in their marital bliss. While Embry expands the family with her daughter, 8 year old Haden, Lynch comes to the table with her own adorable additions including her Wheaten Terrier, Georgie, her Lhasa Apso, Olivia, and two cats, Riley and Greta. 2009 was Lynch’s year, garnering a Golden Globe nomination for her fan-favorite role as the blood and glory coach of the Cheerios, Sue Sylvester on Glee. She also found time to star opposite Meryl Streep in Julie & Julia. And while Georgie, Olivia, Riley and Greta are out of the movie spotlight, in Lynch’s home they’re the biggest stars. In fact all animals are! Lynch is a lifelong advocate to animal rescue, having worked with Animal Fair for years at a number of our charity events.
Real life district attorney turned TV judge Jeanine Pirro knows about the law, so theoretically her eligible pets should know how to avoid getting into any major trouble. But Pirro told NYT that Mickey, her five year old Standard Poodle is a “juvenile delinquent,” adding “if I was still a D.A. and he was human, he’d be in jail!” Yet Pirro has a bigger pet problem to deal with… literally. Her 19 year old Pot Bellied Pig Wilbur is a whopping 250 pounds and has to take medication for his arthritis. The angel in the family is Pirro’s white Standard Poodle (Mickey is black), Dartina, who is eleven years old and emulates her mother the most. Pirro calls Dartina (Tina for short) her “supermodel.” Fortunately for these eligible pets, however, they will avoid getting into any major trouble… they have the law on their sides and the law is their mom.
This year Animal Fair’s own Lucky Diamond made our most eligible list, but not because of her mother (Wendy Diamond)’s achievements, but because of her own. The Maltese (who doesn’t reveal her age) has worked extremely hard this year to earn her spot on the coveted list. Lucky, who is frequently seen on The Today Show, was a co-judge on CBS’s Greatest American Dog, has co-authored numerous books with her new book, It’s a Dog’s World, released this February. Lucky is also the Chairdog of the Hurricane Katrina Pet Memorial Fund and has been working with the United Nations on raising awareness on endangered animals. And to think, Lucky’s still single. Lucky wants to thank all the readers who voted for her and is honored she was even eligible for the eligible pets list!