Cecily Strong is quickly becoming a Saturday Night Live favorite of Animal Fair’s; from her hilarious bit as a distressed dogParent who just found out what she has been feeding her dog in the “Blue River Dog Food” sketch, to her appearance with her own rescue dog in SNL’s opening credit sequence, there is a lot to like about her.
Growing up with a German shepherd-collie mix named Emma, Strong has always been a fan of dogs. She adopted her current dog Lucy, a medium sized mixed-breed, from Best Friends Animal Society, for whom she is now a celebrity spokesperson through their ‘Save Them All’ campaign. In her campaign image she poses with Lucy, next to the words, “I saved my Best Friend.” Many other celebrities who have adopted their dogs have appeared in similar campaign images as well, such as: Amanda Seyfried, Bruce Weber, Denise Richards, Dr. Jane Goodall, and Ellen Degeneres and Portia de Rossi, just to name a few.
While Strong has an incredibly hectic schedule as an actress and comedienne, she makes sure to have a regular dog walker to guarantee Lucy is looked after. In an interview with Glamour magazine, Strong states, “I believe that dogs’ evolutionary purpose is to provide companionship. Animals offer the best unconditional love,” also sharing that it is important to take time to play with your dog as much as is “humanly possible.”
Strong and Lucy even teamed up to host the launch of Vanity Fair and Shinola’s pet accessory, in collaboration with Bruce Weber, which benefits Best Friends Animal Society. Promoting animal welfare through its no kill mission, Best Friends Animal Society works nationally with other rescue groups as well as municipally with shelters. They also build life-saving animal programs on a local scale, and host a number of events to raise money in support of their efforts. On top of all this, they own Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, which hosts and heals nearly 2,000 animals, and acts as a refuge for many who have been neglected, abused, or homeless in the past, with the end goal of finding good homes. Safe to say Strong has chosen an excellent organization to team up with in her animal welfare efforts!
To learn more about Best Friends Animal Society, how Cecily Strong is involved, and what you can do to contribute, be sure to visit their website at www.bestfriends.org