MSNBC anchor Thomas Roberts does more than just bring the news to America – he helps America’s animals, too! The Maryland native is known for his investigative journalism, and was awarded an Emmy nomination in 2002 for is investigation into a puppy mill, which was eventually shut down thanks to Roberts’ work.
In addition to letting the cat out of the bag about animal cruelty, Roberts and his partner, Patrick, are major proponents of animal adoption, and are pet parents themselves. We caught up with Robert during an off-camera moment to discuss his two rescued dogs, Riley and Roxy, and talk animal activism, pet-friendly family vacations, and how his West-coat pups transitioned to life in The Big Apple.
AF: Where did you adopt Riley and Roxy?
TR: A friend of ours found him on a construction site in Atlanta and brought him home to us. When we were living in Los Angeles, my partner Patrick found Roxy on the streets downtown in South Central Los Angeles.
AF: How did you decide on their names?
TR: We settled on Riley because he gets riled up really easily, and Roxy looked like a tough little street chick from LA, so we thought the name suited her.
AF: Do your dogs love New York City?
TR: They really like it! There are more smells, more fire hydrants, and more things to check out. It’s pretty good for them.
AF: If Roxy and Riley were celebrities – who would they be?
TR: Riley barks a lot and has a very funny personality, so he would be someone like Chevy Chase. Roxy would be Jennifer Lopez because she’s beautiful, nice, and looks good in boots.
AF: Do you ever take them on vacation and where is their favorite place to go?
TR: They love going on vacation! Their favorite place to go is their grandmother’s house in Baltimore. My mom has a big backyard, so they get to play outside and run around.
AF: Do they have any favorite places to play in the city?
TR: They love Cooper Park on 10th Avenue and 52nd Street, which is right near where we live. There’s also a dog park right by the West Side Highway, on the south side of the Intrepid. They love being near the water!
AF: What do you feed them?
TR: Sometimes they get Beneful, sometimes it’s Science Diet. We did Nature’s Balance for a while, which is the dog food by Dick Van Patton. Their favorite treats are the Pup-peronie’s.
AF: What is the most disturbing pet story that you’ve had to cover on the news?
TR: There was a guy running a puppy mill in Virginia, and we got it shut down. Then there was a guy who was importing dogs from North Carolina to Virginia and selling them to military families. Most of the dogs were really sick, so their new families would take them to the vet and have these enormous medical bills. It was usually cheaper to put the dogs down then to get them healthy again. That was probably the worst because we took the station helicopter over his compound and you saw the really deplorable conditions where he was keeping the dogs. It was just really sad to think that so many dogs were being kept and bred, and he was bringing them into town trying to sell them as these fluffy little things, and they weren’t in perfect health; they were all sick.
AF: That sounds awful! Do you support any animal charities to help prevent that kind of thing from happening?
TR: Patrick used to volunteer for the SPCA LA, and of course we’re big on rescues. Rescuing a dog is a very special, personal, kind of animal charity.
AF: What’s the most important thing you’ve learned from your dogs?
TR: We’ve really learned a lot about unconditional love, and how important it is to appreciate it. Roxy especially is the type of dog who reminds us every day how grateful she is to be part of our family. They’re both such affectionate dogs.
If you want to make a difference in a special animal’s life and bring puppy love into your own home, take a tip from this journalist and head to your local SPCA. If you want to see some of Roberts’ fantastic work, catch him on MSNBC and see what kind of dirt he digs up!
For the Best that Pet Lifestyle and Animal Welfare has to offer follow Wendy and Lucky Diamond on Facebook, Twitter, and right here at AnimalFair.com!
Originally published on Animal Fair, April 2012.
