Hollywood bow wow brigade

Hollywood's bow-wow brigade

The world's luckiest pooches live in Hollywood.

Yup, Hollywood is also the kingdom of dreams for a legion of dogs, as well as cats, birds, horses and an occasional monkey or pig.

These little fellows have their own nannies, handlers and walkers. They move about in the flashy Lamborghinis and Ferraris their masters own.

Some of them have been to the Oscars. Others have attended star photo shoots and film shootings. Or been photographed in glossies like Hello! They often dine out at the best Beverly Hills eateries. And most of these hounds have seen more of the world than you and I.

In fact, quite a sizeable percentage of showbiz is mutt mad. Madonna, Eddie Murphy, Jake Gyllenhal, Geri Halliwell (Ginger Spice), Hillary Duff, Ashlee Simpson, Joss Stone, Paul McCartney, just to name a few, adore dogs. Melanie Griffith loves cats.

And did you know that George Clooney once had a pig? Yes he adopted the pig who starred in Babe and he and the pig were inseparable after that.

Or that singer Mariah Carey's Jack Russell terrier flies with her first class? And that she confessed that she sometimes takes a bath with him.

Come and meet a few celebrity pet owners:

Paris Hilton

The Hilton babe has often been accused of using her dog as a fashion accessory. Indeed the long-legged hotel heiress and socialite, recently released from Los Angeles County Jail, seldom appears in public without a wee woof hanging on her right arm like a Vuitton handbag.

Little Tinkerbell, her favourite Chihuahua is about as famous as Paris. She appeared on every episode of the rich-girl reality show The Simple Life in which Paris stars with Nicole Richie. The five-year-old Chihuahua, of Greek extraction, was kidnapped in 2005 but was found six days later.

Six-inch Tinkerbell has penned her own memoirs, The Tinkerbell Hilton Diaries, released in 2004.

Paris is seen here with her Yorkshire terrier. She also owns another Chihuahua as well as a cockatoo, kinkajou (a rainforest mammal resembling a raccoon and a ferret), ferret, a monkey and a few other dogs. Paris apparently sleeps every night with the monkey which led one showbiz blog to cattily remark: 'while the poor monkey is chosen to keep Paris company at night, you know the rest of animals are slowly digging a secret tunnel to freedom with a Louis Vuitton keychain and some popsicle sticks.'

Incidentally, according to a showbiz website, an empty can of dog food, procured from the Hilton family trash bin, sold for $305 on an eBay auction.


Britney Spears

The pop singer was voted the worst celebrity dog owner of 2006 in an online poll conducted by a dog magazine. Spears apparently sheds pets the way she casts off husbands and oscillates between a dogless and excessively dog-dependent existence.

Spears just hit the headlines with the photo-shoot she did with her newest $ 3,000 canine toy for OK! The shoot was a disaster when Spears decided to allow the Yorkie pup to poop on a $6,700 designer gown lent to her by the magazine.

In fact the erratic singer has spent many days popping in and out of pet shops looking for a new pup to colour her existence, which angered the Humane Society, who feel that she set a poor example frequenting these shops that manufacture pups by the dozen.


Reese Witherspoon

A confirmed dog lover, Witherspoon even acted in Legally Blonde with a mongrel. Except he was not really a mongrel -- he was Moonie (seen here), an expensive Chihuahua who has made appearances in other Hollywood films.

Witherspoon owns an English bulldog name Frank Sinatra, a Chihuahua named Chi Chi Rodriguez, and a French bulldog who she calls Coco Chanel. She occasionally dresses Coco up in pearls when they go out together.

Sheryl Crow

A Labrador freak, vegetarian country singer Sheryl Crow always tours with her favourite dog in tow.

She and Scout (part golden Lab; seen in this pic) bussed it all across the continent -- he sat backstage at each concert and probably knew the words of All I wanna do by heart. Crow picked up Scout from a dog shelter when he was a baby and has two other dogs as well.

Scout recently died and the singer was considering taking Rex, her latest Lab, who was just operated for a heart murmur, on tour. But Rex has a penchant for chewing shoes and Crow was worried she might end up on stage without shoes.

Charlize Theron

'If you don't wear your dog, please don't wear any fur.'

That was the message on a PETA poster South African actress Charlize Theron appeared in along with her dog Tucker.

Theron, who won an Oscar for Monster, loves all animals, most of all dogs, and is often seen in public with a pack of dogs around her. Or she brings them with her to photo shoot.

In addition to Tucker, she once adopted a stray in Italy, who she named Orson and she has two spaniels named Delilah and Denver. Folks who live around Malibu Beach often see her out with her dogs. And Orson, Theron once recounted, was a fixture at Malibu mansions often leaving home to have dinner with a new neighbour each night.


Ben Affleck

According to wikifido: ever since he was a little boy, actor Ben Affleck always wished he had a dog.

His mom was nervous that if she got him a dog he would not take proper care of it. She suggested that he walk an imaginary dog every night which Affleck did dutifully for just five days. So he never got a dog.

Now the Good Will Hunting star has five dogs who are nearly 24/7 companions.

Gwen Stefani

Gavin Rossdale, lead singer and guitarist for British band Bush and pop artist and No Doubt singer Gwen Stefani are often seen strolling through London with their loveable and large black sheepdog Winston (they apparently have two dogs).

Winston was the best man at their wedding in St Paul's Church, Covent Garden in 2002.

London's Sunday Mirror put it best: 'even a simple walk with the dogs can be a fashion parade for some people -- and if there's one pop chick who knows how to make a statement, it's Gwen Stefani. But we're not talking about her bright red trackie ensemble. While most celebs are obsessed with their rat-size dogs, singer/fashion designer Gwen has gone to the other extreme. The star took her large Hungarian sheepdog Winston and her new mop dog for a walk in London's Primrose Hill -- none of this squeezing your dog into a handbag nonsense.'


Eva Longoria

Move over Tony Parker. Snow-white Maltese terrier Jinxy, quite obviously, is the love of Desperate Housewives star, Eva Longoria's life.

When American basketball celeb Tony and Eva married in a castle outside Paris a few weeks ago, Jinxy apparently had the pew of honour at Eglise Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois church. She also wore a special designer collar for the nuptials.

However, Eva is seen here with a Pomerian for a promotional event she was doing for London department store Harrods.

Renee Zellweger

Here's actress Renee Zellweger with golden retriever-collie Dylan, also called Woofer, who she found in a Texas pound.

For 15 long years, Dylan was the centre of the Bridget Jones's Diary star's life. When he departed for the happy hunting grounds a few years ago, she was heart-broken and told British magazine Empire, 'When she died, home didn't exist anymore.'



Ozzy Osbourne

The Osbourne household is mad about canines. Their Buckinghamshire residence, north of London, has brimmed with anywhere between five and 11 dogs.

The Black Sabbath singer is seen here with his favourite bulldog.

He has been quoted as saying, 'I love dogs. I can relate to them better than some people. They've all got their own personalities. The kids get new dogs and then they f**k off to Europe for work and I'm left with them. But dogs are alright -- they don't sit around all day going, 'Hmmm, how can I rip him off?', unlike a lot of the people I've met in my life.'


Salman Khan

Closer to home our own Salman 'Sallu' Khan loves his dogs -- MySon and MyJaan. They live at the actor's Panvel farmhouse, outside Mumbai.

And don't forget he appeared in Mujhse Shaadi Karogi with a pug on his motorbike.