12 Celebrities with Rescue Animals

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Many celebrities try to use their fame for good. Sometimes that means standing behind charitable organizations and other times it means speaking up for those with no voice. Over the past few years many celebrities have decided to introduce a pet as a companion to their lives. Thankfully, quite a few have seen the ills of puppy mills and acted to rescue the pets they care so much about by adopting them from shelters. Who is your favorite celebrity with a rescue animal?

Here are some of our favorites:

Jane Lynch

Glee star Jane Lynch loves dogs. So much so, that she spoke out in a PSA for PETA asking a very poignant question, “If you buy a dog, what will you do with the shelter dog you kill?” Lynch recently added a new rescue animal to her life. Earlier this month she adopted a Dalmatian mix that her family named Francis. Francis will join Lynch’s other rescue pets, Greta and Garbo.

Justin Bieber

The Bieb is well known for his passion for animals. When he was 13 he posed for a PSA for PETA that read, “Animals Can Make U Smile.” Then he did a PSA video for the organization with a Papillon pup that looked similar to his own rescue pup named Sammy. It caused many 13 year old fans to go out and rescue animals just like the pop singer. “A lot of animals are getting abused in different homes and different situations. I think it is important for us to be aware about these situations,” he said in the PSA.

Selena Gomez

Bieber’s gal pal, Selena Gomez, decided to adopt a pet with the help of her boyfriend. Gomez is a frequent animal rescuer. She had five rescue pups before deciding to add another rescue to her home. While in Canada, the two young stars spent the day at D’Arcy’s A.R.C., an animal shelter, where they visited and played with the puppies there. D’Arcy Johnson, CEO of D’Arcy’s A.R.C., wasn’t expecting Gomez to adopt and was very pleased she they decided to take home a 10-week-old husky mix pup. Selena named the pup Baylor.

George Clooney

Clooney may not be ready to settle down with one particular woman, but he is ready for some dog companionship. He decided on adopting a pup that he fell in love with on an animal shelter’s website. When he contacted the shelter he was told that “Einstein” could only go home with him if the dog liked him. “The Descendants” star knew that he couldn’t depend on his wit, talent or smile to win over the pup. Instead, he rubbed turkey meatballs on his shoes, as Allyson Koerner of Ecorazzi puts it, “to ensure he would be able to keep man’s best friend.” Meatballs equaled success for the star. He was able to keep Einstein on the spot and has had him as a faithful companion ever since.

Robert Downey, Jr.

The “Iron Man” star isn’t one to rescue animals. At least not normally. In fact, he was dead set against adopting animals. He told Men’s Fitness, “Eighteen months ago, I’m saying, ‘I don’t want any rescue pets within 100 yards of either of my residences, I’m sorry. I don’t want some like tripod, abused animal.’ I was adamantly opposed to the whole idea. And now I couldn’t imagine living without them.” Downey, Jr.’s, change of heart came after he rescued two kittens from a bush in West Hollywood. The “Sherlock Holmes” actor named the kittens Montgomery and Dartanian. Very fitting for Hollywood cats.

Charlize Theron

Charlize Theron loves dogs. She has a soft spot for rescuing them. Over the years she has saved eight rescue pups. In the span of two and a half years she lost those companions. The oldest dog was 16. The deaths broke her heart and since she believed that she would be filming in Australia she decided to take a break from rescuing any animals. She told Ellen Degeneres that her mom kept pushing her to adopt again because she was such a dog lover. She took her moms words to heart and adopted two rescue dogs. She advocates for homeless animals as much as she can. While on Ellen she said, “People don’t realize you can actually go and specifically adopt exactly what you want. There are so many dogs available. It just kills me when people run to pet stores. This is the season to adopt.”

Trent Reznor

Reznor might appear to be a bad ass but he is really a softie when it comes to rescue animals. He has worked to benefit the Greyhound Rescue and California Greyhound Adoption Promotion by auctioning off NIN posters, cds, t-shirts, etc. He isn’t just a spokesperson for rescuing greyhounds. He is also the adoptive parent of several greyhounds that accompany him regularly.

Sharon Osbourne

Sharon Osbourne is known for her love of animals. Especially, little dogs. In July, she became an adopted mom to a rescue puppy that she won in an auction. The auction came under a lot of criticism from PETA. But that didn’t deter Sharon from adopting an 8-week-old yorkie while also donating a five figure amount to help support Autism research. Sharon and hubby Ozzy Osbourne named the pup Charlie.

Seth MacFarlane

Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane makes cartoons that tells it like it is for a living, and when it comes to helping animals, he takes much the same tactic. He has taken his mother’s passion for animal rescue and decided to do something about it in her honor. His mom, Perry, sadly passed away in July of 2011 after a battle with cancer. One year after her death he decided to honor her memory by partnering with Heaven on Earth Animal Society, a no-kill cat shelter, to create Perry’s Place. Perry’s Place will be a cage-free sanctuary and adoption center for homeless cats. It is unclear if MacFarlane has adopted pets of his own, but for his efforts to help rescue cats he gets a spot on this list.

Orlando Bloom

While filming “The Kingdom of Heaven,” Orlando Bloom found man’s best friend. He adopted a black Saluki mix while he was in Africa and the dog has stayed by his side. “I rescued this man in Morocco about seven years ago now. He has been everywhere with me.” Bloom gave the dog a Morroccan name in honor of where they met. Sidi, the dog’s name, means “lord” in Morrocan.

Joey Lawrence

“Dancing with the Stars” alum, Joey Lawrence, was not expecting to fall in love while filming in Australia. He just couldn’t help himself. He met a black Labrador-Australian Heeler mix and just had to bring her home. He told People, “She was just the most amazing little thing ever. We had to bring her home. It cost me, like, $1,000 to get her into the country, but it was worth it. She’s just an amazing animal.”

Camilla Parker Bowles

The wife of Prince Charles has a love for Jack Russel terriers and a passion for rescuing them. In August, The Duchess was happy to announce that she adopted Beth from the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, a rescue organization that she had been involved with for a while. She helped the organization open a new cattery the year prior to Beth’s adoption. Bowles’ told the Daily Mail, “I just couldn’t resist her, she is gorgeous. It is so exciting. I can’t wait for her to meet the family.” Beth was one of 100 strays that were delivered to Battersea in July.