My Pups: Lupe and Oscar

"I became a vegetarian after realizing that animals feel afraid, cold, hungry and unhappy like we do. I feel very deeply about vegetarianism and the animal kingdom. It was my dog Boycott who led me to question the right of humans to eat other sentient beings." - Cesar Chavez

Sue, my mother-in-law, always says, "a house is not a home without a pet" and I agree with her 100%. I love animals dearly and have a profound respect for them. My two personality filled babies have brought me many laughs and much love over the years. 

Lupe's first trip to MA during the holidays.From the time I was a little girl I've always wanted a dog but my mom never let us have one because she knew she'd be the one taking care of it : ) She was smart to do that but as soon as I was able to have my own pet, I got my friend Lupe, a spunky and defiant little Chihuahua from NY (I got her while I was still working as a host on MTV). Shortly after I moved to Los Angeles and we decided that Lupe needed a friend to play with so we got our second Chihuahua, Oscar.

The two could not be any more different. Lupe's nickname is "The Devil Dog" because she loves to bug Oscar to the point where he'll actually yell at her, has doggy ADHD, and is often a flat out meanie to friends! Oscar, on the other hand, is more like a cross between a Labrador Retriever and a delicate flower and loves everyone which is why I call him my "Love bug". He just wants to snuggle by our heads, treats, and belly rubs all day long.

Although, I love my doggies dearly I will say that I NEVER would have gotten them had I known then what I know now about the overpopulation of animals in shelters. There are so many wonderful furry friends that need good homes and I wish I was more educated on the issue back then.

I can say without a doubt that I will always adopt my pets from now on and encourage you to do the same. I really feel like it's the most responsible thing to do. Although, I purchased my pups from the sweetest responsible breeders (one of which interviewed me for about 4 hrs total to make sure I was a fit doggy-mom), there are hundreds of puppy mills in the US where the animals are treated as livestock and live in terrible conditions. They are abused and certainly don't deserve that kind of life so please join me in never purchasing an animal from pet store.

Luna, my mom's pup. (click to enlarge)I don't even shop at pet stores that sell animals because I don't want to support them or puppy mills. Our voices can be heard via our wallets, guys!

My mom rescued Luna from LA Animal Services a year and a half ago when she was visiting me and now Luna is living in the lap of doggie luxury in Massachusetts and she brings a lot of joy and love to my mom. Luna's one of the sweetest dogs I've ever come across and is a great companion to my family.

And just in case you're wondering...yes, my dogs eat all organic and mostly a raw diet and they love it. I'll write about that later : )

 Alright so here is the piece de resistance, LOL! Warning though, the music I chose for the first half of the video has some "graphic" language so beware if there are some kiddo's around...Enjoy!

Yeah my husband thinks I'm a nut for making this video but I quote one of my favorite filmakers, Nora Ephron, when she said "you enter into a certain amount of madness when you marry a person with pets." BAH! What can I say?! I love my dogs and had way too much time on my hands a couple of afternoons last summer while on the road shooting School Pride. My thanks to our makeup artist, Kindra Mann-Weber, for teaching me how to use iMovie! You're the best Kindra!

Till Next Time...give your pets a smooch from me : )

xo,