WRITTEN BY: Anna Holton-Dean
Many celebrities love pets, but some take their dedication a step further, using their fame, and sometimes fortune, as a platform to support animal welfare. Whether it’s adopting homeless pets or raising money for rescue efforts and conservation, these stars have our full support as they champion for animals across the country and the world.
SALMA HAYEK
Ten dogs, five parrots, alpacas, horses, cats, one without a tail, one without a leg—this menagerie of animals belongs to Salma Hayek, who famously rescues the animals who find her as she travels the world. After reaching 30 animals, she promised her husband, François-Henri Pinault, she wouldn’t take in any more.
“He doesn’t believe me, but they come to me, I swear,” she said.
However, when an abandoned puppy found her in Bulgaria, she couldn’t leave him there. On “The Graham Norton Show,” she shared the story she concocted to soften the news of her latest rescue.
“I took him, and then I was terrified; how am I gonna explain this to my husband? … So, I came up with this brilliant idea to pretend that I was having an affair. At the end I would say, ‘No, it’s not an affair; I picked up a dog,’ and then he would feel better. I left him a message. … ‘you must call me. … we need to talk; it’s very important. … I feel so terrible; I don’t know how to say this to you, and I know this is not gonna go down well, and I’m really nervous. … please have mercy on me, have patience, be understanding, it’s been so stressful, and I’m so tired, and I was so lonely here. You know people do crazy things when you’re in this state.’”
Knowing his wife so well, he answered, “Oh please, don’t tell me you picked up another dog!”
Hayek has a ranch in Washington, which she considers her animal sanctuary. She has housed as many as 50 animals at once, the latest of which is a rescued owl. She recently posted a video on Instagram of the owl sitting on her head and biting at her nails. She jokingly commentated that the bird is her hairdresser, manicurist and can even be a hat.
MIRANDA LAMBERT
Country music superstar Miranda Lambert found fame in 2003 when she finished third on the TV competition, “Nashville Star.” Lambert’s love for animals has always been an important part of who she is. While volunteering at local shelters, she adopted her first pup Delilah as a companion when she started touring. Now, the Grammy awardwinning artist uses her success as a platform to champion for animal welfare, particularly dogs.
In 2009, Lambert and her mother founded MuttNation Foundation, a nonprofit organization which promotes and facilitates the adoption of shelter pets, encourages spay and neuter for all pets and educates the public about the importance and beneficial impact of these actions.
“Luckily, I could use my platform, what I’ve built musically, for that cause and draw attention to it,” Lambert said about MuttNation. “With all of the music stuff, if I set it aside, all I can think about is what are we going to do for dogs next year.”
The foundation’s website states their objectives are accomplished through numerous initiatives which include: high profile adoption events, fundraising events, a national pet transport network and providing financial support to carefully vetted shelters across the United States. MuttNation is also committed to providing monetary, handson and transport assistance during times of emergency and disaster.
According to the Tennessean, MuttNation has raised $4 million for shelter dogs across the country.
Lambert recently held an eBay charity auction—which ran from Oct. 21 to Nov. 17, 2019—raising $105,166 for MuttNation. The singer curated the auction that featured
more than 400 lots of her clothes, jewelry, accessories and more.
“It just means so much that we’re able to help so many more rescues and shelter pets, especially at this time of year,” she said. “I’m incredibly grateful to my fans for making this auction such a great success. It almost makes me want to clean out my closet more often!”
DAN SMYERS OF DAN + SHAY
You can’t turn on a country radio station without hearing a song by Dan Smyers of the popular country duo Dan + Shay. When he’s not touring, Dan and his wife Abby spend their time volunteering and fundraising for Nashville’s Proverbs 12:10 Animal Rescue.
The couple has three rescue dogs of their own: Chief, Joy and Ghost. The dogs even have their own Instagram account. According to Nash Country Daily, Smyers said touring is the only way to get a decent night’s sleep because the dogs take over the bed at home.
“[Abby and I] just got our third dog, and all of the dogs sleep in the bed, too, so I look forward to getting out on the road and sleeping in the bunk—I’ve got a little more room,” he said. “We’ve got three rescue [dogs]. We’re not even totally sure what [breeds] they are. … Animal rescue is super close to our hearts, and it takes up a lot of our time. It can be emotional; it can be tough sometimes, but to help an animal find his forever home is a cool thing to do. Having a platform with music and having super passionate fans who help out, too, it’s cool when there’s a fundraiser and fans gear up and get behind it. It’s cool to be able to do something good with what we’ve been given and blessed with.”
BETTY WHITE
At almost 93 years old, Betty White’s love of animals spans nine decades. According to Mother Nature Network, she traces her love of animals back to the womb, thanks to her parents who were just as “animal-nutty” as she is.
“I had parents who’d bring something
home and say, ‘Hey, Betty, he followed us home. Can we keep it?’” she has said in past interviews. “I’m deeply grateful that they passed that passion on to me. Anything with a leg on each corner is my favorite. I find them all fascinating. Though if they have more than four legs, I’m not quite as enthusiastic.”
White has had a menagerie of pets throughout her lifetime, many of them rescued, and she has donated countless hours and resources to animal welfare, according to her autobiography, “Betty & Friends: My Life at the Zoo.”
“Animals are her passion, and that passion extends to zoos and their importance for the conservation of species and for offering humans the ability to witness the grandeur and variety of these magnificent animals from around the world.”
However, she is not in favor of individuals owning wild animals as pets since it almost always has a sad ending. “That’s why we have zoos,” she said.
For 40 years, she has served as a trustee of the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association and often says she has to stay in show business to pay for her animal business of conservation.
“Our zoo animals serve as ambassadors to the public—to make people aware of the diminishing wild populations before it is too late,” she said. “A message that will only register by seeing these wondrous creatures live and up close.”
