Petfinder Blog

As many commenters to this blog have already noted, news emerged this weekend that Oprah Winfrey, after adopting a cocker spaniel puppy from PAWS Chicago, adopted a second dog, her puppy Sadie's littermate Ivan, who died of parvo.

As PeoplePets.com reports:

Ivan ... came down with a deadly virus called Parvo last Wednesday and died, said Dr. Jean Dobbs, the veterinarian who [is treating] Sadie since she was exposed.

"It was just a little bit too late. All the veterinary community got together to save his life," Dr. Dobbs told PEOPLE Pets. "The puppy didn't make it, but he's teaching others how important this is to get vaccinated at the right times."

Dr. Dobbs, who founded Hemopet, a non-profit animal blood bank [which also posts adoptable Greyhounds on Petfinder - ED], said that she thinks the shelter and vets did everything right, but that Ivan was exposed between two critical shots.

Oprah introduced her new adopted puppy, Sadie, on her show on Friday. What a cutie! Oprah and Alexandra Wentworth also give some great props to shelter pets and urge viewers to adopt. (See more on Oprah's Web site.)

In other, sadder celebrity pet news, Martha Stewart's new puppy was killed along with 16 other dogs in an explosion at a Pennsylvania kennel / breeding facility.

Previous entry:

Oprah Winfrey adopts a dog from PAWS Chicago

Oprah Winfrey has adopted a cocker spaniel puppy from Petfinder member PAWS Chicago, a rep for the shelter tells Us Weekly.

According to Usmagazine.com, Oprah "adopted an 8-week-old blonde-colored cocker spaniel on Sunday. ... The pup -- one of a litter of six -- was named Amanda by shelter staff, but [shelter rep Lisa] Nowak isn't sure if Winfrey renamed her."

This is, of course, great news for adoption advocates! Oprah vowed her next dog would come from a shelter during her episode last year that exposed the horrors of puppy mills (and featured Bill Smith of Petfinder member Main Line Animal Rescue).

Of course we're thrilled that she's made good on her promise -- but she'd become a bona fide pet adoption advocate even before this week:
 

• She donated to PAWS Chicago in honor of her late cocker spaniel, Sophie.
• She aired a show recently about Yorkies rescued from a puppy mill in Missouri.
• Her Web site features a photo gallery of her employees' rescued pets.

Check out this cute photo of The Hills star Lauren Conrad with her adopted dog, Chloe (courtesy of CelebrityDogBlog).

I'm always on the lookout for celebrities who've adopted pets -- especially ones who are popular with young people and can counteract the influence of the Paris Hiltons of the world -- so it's great to see a fashion icon like LC showing that saving a life is always in style.

Conrad, also the proud parent of a rescued cat, adopted Chloe in March, writing on her MySpace blog:

On Monday, I got a puppy from the pound. She is the cutest puppy ever! Her name is Chloe. She is a lab/shepherd mix.

I'm not getting much sleep because she thinks nighttime is play time! Ashes (my cat) is not thrilled with her, but I think they will become friends. (Usmagazine.com)

Congrats to LC on finding such a sweet pet. (Although judging from this photo, she may want to check out our video, Teaching Your Dog to Walk on a Leash.)

I recently wrote about how Barack Obama reportedly promised his daughters a dog after the election. Since then, Best Friends Animal Society has gotten 45,000 signatures on its petition urging the Obamas to adopt.

Now we'd like you to nominate a Petfinder dog for the Obamas! Just leave a comment with a link to that dog and an explanation of why you think he or she would be a good fit.

My candidate? Pride (right), an American bulldog-pit mix at Chicago Canine Rescue. Why? He's from Chicago, like the Obamas. He's a pit, so he knows what it's like to be misunderstood. His last family lost their home -- so he can help Obama stay in touch with the common person's financial troubles. He misses being part of a family with small children. And Pride -- you can't ask for a more American name than that!

To add to the list of celebrities who support pet adoption: British pop singer Lily Allen posted on her MySpace blog on Monday about her plan to adopt a dog.

She writes:

I'm getting a dog from Battersea dogs home, i found her on the weekend, and after a visit from a rehoming officer hopefully, i'll have her by next week. She's called Honey and she's quite fat (insert dogs like their owners joke here), but very sweet, she's a mongrel.

There were so many Staffordshire Bullies there it was so sad. People should really think about getting puppies from breeders or breeding them for that matter, if you saw all those poor dogs without a home with their sad little faces, you wouldn't even think about buying dogs from people who profit.

Hooray for Lily! A celebrity who saves a life by adopting a pet is a real star in my book!

Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States, recently wrote on his blog that Barack Obama has promised his daughters they can get a dog once the election is over.

Pacelle notes that the American Kennel Club has nominated a number of "hypoallergenic" breeds for the girls -- one of whom reportedly has allergies -- including the bichon frise, poodle, Chinese crested, miniature schnauzer and soft-coated wheaten terrier.

We applaud Pacelle for urging the Obamas to choose adoption, whatever breed they opt for. And, as Pacelle notes, there are plenty of purebreds (such as wheaten terrier Maggie at TAILS Humane Society in DeKalb, IL, pictured here) waiting for loving homes -- in the White House, or any house -- on Petfinder!

Before Petfinder, I was an editor at People.com, so I've got a secret interest in all things celebrity. I've also got a mental tally of celebrities who adopted their pets, and I'm always happy to add another one to the list.

So I was thrilled yesterday to read the new issue of the New York Post's Page Six magazine and learn that cover girl Gabrielle Union is the proud mama of three dogs:

Bubba, a mastiff-American bulldog mix; Pink, a pit bull-Dalmatian mix; and Bobby Hurley (named for the basketball player), a Maltese. (Read the full story here.) 

Oh, and if anyone wants live like a celebrity, it's easy to find a mastiff-American bulldog mix (like June, left, at Friends of Linden Animal Shelter in Linden, NJ), a pit-Dalmatian mix (like Chablis, center, at Pet Paws for Love in Garfield, NJ), or a Maltese (like Billie, right, at Metropolitan Maltese Rescue in NYC) on Petfinder!