I felt that since I am a major dog lover that I would come up with a top 10 list of famous dog lovers. This might seem a little controversial but this is more for entertainment purposes and is based on their being dog lovers. This has little to do with their social or political views. I am, however, not going to include Michael Vick. Despite the fact that I believe that he is truly remorseful for his actions and he is going out to great leaps to make amends, his past cruel actions towards dogs is still too controversial to include him. Anyhow, these people are here on this list because of their love for dogs. At least one on this list may make you do a double take and there is one more noted about the book he wrote about his dog and the subsequent movie based on the book. Now on with the list.
10) John Grogan: John Grogan is a journalist and writer who penned the book “Marley and Me: Life and Love with the World’s Worst Dog”. Grogan’s book about his Yellow Lab Marley was an instant hit. In 2008 the book became the family heart warming hit “Marley and Me”. The film chronicled the lives and frustrations of Grogan, his family, and their dog Marley. Despite his being a mischievous dog, John loved his Marley like he was his own child.
9) Curly Howard: Jerome “Curly” Howard is probably the most famous of the Three Stooges. He showed his antics on the silver screen in Three Stooges shorts during the 1930s and 40s. One of his signature bits of shtick was barking like a dog. He had good practice barking since Curly had many dogs. Whenever he and the other two stooges would travel to do a stage show or if Curly traveled anywhere he would often befriend stray dogs and would take the dog in and give them to a friend when he returned home to Los Angeles. He also had many dogs of his own that he spent a large dose of quality time with. Curly was not shy about his love for dogs.
8) Paris Hilton: Being famous for being famous, Paris Hilton has been seen at many appearances with her pet Chihuahua Tinkerbell. Besides Tinkerbell, Hilton also reportedly owns a male Chihuahua and a Yorkshire Terrier. The names of these two dogs have not been made public.
7) Ron White: Among the famous exploits of Comedian Ron White are the things that his Bulldog Sluggo does. Along with Sluggo, White and his wife have two Scottish Terriers. Sluggo’s bowel movements are often subject of Ron’s stories that are told in his comedy act. One of these scatological stories include a golf glove. Ron White is noted for his love of dogs.
6) Denis Leary: Among the neurotic rants and raves from comedian and actor Denis Leary include one about a small mixed breed dog named “Pongo. To date Leary has five dogs, among them a Chihuahua and an Irish Wolfhound who are best friends. Even though he sounds like a griping maniac in some of his shtick, Denis is a major dog lover. Some people consider him an expert on Irish Wolfhounds.
5) Sean Hannity: The Conservative Radio and TV host Sean Hannity is a noted dog lover. He has a 17 year old dog named Snowball. He also recently added another puppy to his family which was the subject of a naming contest that was parodied. Despite having the reputation as a hard nose, Hannity is a softy at heart and this softer side is reflected in his love for his dogs.
4) George S. Patton: Old Blood ‘n’ Guts was probably one of the most gruff military leaders during World War II. At his side during many public engaements was Willie, and English Bull Terrier. Willie was a favorite of the General and probably was his best confidant. Patton loved his dog like he was his son and would take him everywhere except for the field of battle because he did not want his Willie to be harmed. Once the smoke settled from the battles, Willie would be sent for and would join Patton.
3) Sarah Mclachlan: Singer and songwriter Sarah Mclachlan is also a noted animal rights activist and among the animals she champions the most for are dogs. She can often be seen promoting animal welfare organizations through public service announcemnts that are accompanied by one of her songs. When on tour, Mclachlan will bring her dogs with her. She has done this for many years. One of her pet projects in her native Canada is promoting the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) and she also promotes the Counterpart ASPCA.
2) Cesar Milan: Considered by most to be one of the top dog trainers in the world, Cesar Milan is the host of the TV program “The Dog Whisperer. According tohis biography, Milan has a natural ability to communicate with dogs and he has many dogs of his own. He is a firm believer in not only training the dog but also the owners. He bases his training on building a solid relationship with your dog that comes from discipline, affection, and leadership. He tries to demonstrate to the owners why the dog behaves the way it does by using the dog’s percpectives and perceptions and then translating it to human terms. Milan’s program has been such a success that he has hired people to use his methods to train dogs.
1) Mark Levin: Conservative radio host and Consitutional Attorney Mark Levin can be heard on the radio in many markets and through satellite radio and through the internet. Though he may seem a bit harsh to those he differs with, Levin is a very passionate dog lover. Currently Levin has two dogs Pepsi and Griffen. He is an advocate of adopting a dog through shelters and resuce organizations. In 2007 Levin published a book he wrote titled “Resucing Sprite” which was about a dog he and his family adopted to be a companion to Pepsi. Though Sprite was with the Levin family for a short time, he impacted their lives in huge ways. Sprite had multiple health problems from the time he was adopted. According to Levin’s book, Sprite did not seem to mind and was very affectionate towards his family. Pepsi was his best friend but eventually Sprite had to be laid to rest. This euthanization of Sprite was so hard on Levin that he had to take time off from his radio show to mourn the loss of his friend. Eventually the Levins did adopt another dog named Griffen. On his radio show’s website there is a section called Pet Corner. In this section, people can leave messages about their pets and also there are pictures of the Levin family dogs (including photos of Sprite). There is also a link to the World Society for the Protection of Animals. You can tell from reading “Rescuing Sprite” Levin’s passion for animals and how important of a family member Sprite was. Mark Levin will frequently sign off his radio program with “Good night Spritey wherever you are.”
This is my list of top 10 famous dog lovers. Some are universally famous and some are famous within certain circles. I chose Mark Levin as my number one because of the impact his book had on me. I read his book several times and especially when I had an old dog name Hootie that was approaching the end of his days. Hootie lived to be 13 years old and up until the last few months of his life, you had a hard time convincing him that he was not a puppy. Hootie would play hard and when I’d go out for a run he would follow me most of the way and then wait for me to return and would follow me back. I am eternally grateful to Mark Levin for his book and this article is dedicated to my three living dogs Lucky, Sapper, and Danni. If you have any comments I will freely accept them.
