April 11 is celebrated every year as National Pet Day. Initially observed only in the US, it is now gaining popularity in other countries as well. In fact, it has now become a global phenomenon, with celebrities and other notable figures supporting the cause and spreading the message. Ahead of the day, let’s look at some of the pets owned by celebrities who are as popular as their owners.
Gino the German Shepherd
In 2019, actor Priyanka Chopra gifted a German shepherd puppy as an early anniversary gift to her husband Nick Jonas. Soon, Jonas took to Instagram to introduce the newest member of the family. “Pri came home with the absolute best surprise this morning. Please meet our new pup @ginothegerman… I haven’t stopped smiling since I woke up this morning and finally realized what was going on. Thank you @priyankachopra,” he wrote, sharing a video of the surprise gift. Like any doting dog parent, Jonas quickly set up an Instagram account for Gino. The pooch (@ginothegerman) now has 257,000 followers and counting. Although busy with their work responsibilities, the celebrity pet parents manage to take out time to shower their love on Gino and their other pets — Diana and Panda — and share them on social media.
Biscotti the Tabby
In June 2020, Mark Ruffalo aka ‘The Hulk’ introduced his as starred in many popular films such as The Kids Are All Right (2010), Foxcatcher (2014) and Spotlight (2015), is well-known among his followers for his love of cats. In 2019, the actor shared a photo of him cuddling his other cat, Felix, on Instagram. “#NationalPetDay is every day in our household,” he captioned. Over the years, Ruffalo has posted several pics of his current and past feline friends like Magnus, Hansel and Inky, besides Biscotti and Felix. He has even credited his daughter Odette with some of the still photography.
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Meredith the Scottish Fold
American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift named Meredith Grey, a Scottish Fold cat and one of her many pets, after the character Meredith Grey (played by Ellen Pompeo) from Taylor’s favourite show Grey’s Anatomy. The Anti-Hero singer adopted Meredith on October 31, 2011. Swift’s love of cats is well-known. From references in her songs to selling cat-covered items in her merchandise store, she even starred in the 2019 musical fantasy film titled Cats. Apart from Meredith, Swift has two other cats. While the first one, Olivia Benson, is named after the character played by Mariska Hargitay in the crime-drama Law & Order: SVU, her other cat Benjamin Button is named after Brad Pitt’s character in the film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. She includes all her cats in a lot of her social media posts, but Meredith is the most popular.
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Kal the American Akita
We all adore Henry Cavill, the dashing star from Superman, The Witcher and Mission Impossible: Fallout, among many other popular films. But did you know that he is a devout dog lover and credits his positive mental health to his American Akita pup named Kal? Known as a national treasure in Japan, the Akita — a large, dignified dog breed — has wooed American dog-lovers like Cavill with their strength and loyalty. Kal is named after Cavill’s Superman character, Kal-El. The star often shares photos of Kal on his social media accounts and was even seen tagging him along to press interviews for his Netflix series, The Witcher. “He really is (my best friend),” the 39-year-old Superman star was quoted as telling Lorraine Kelly on her talk show Lorraine in 2021. “We go everywhere together. He’s 8 now and he has saved my emotional, psychological bacon plenty of times.” As per an Instagram post, Cavill’s bond with Kal has become ‘second nature’.
Ted the Dachshund
If you have been following British actress Emilia Clarke’s Instagram account, you would have often noticed a photogenic pup sharing the screen, doing everything from enjoying walks in London to jumping in a taxi. The dachshund puppy, who’s known as Super Ted, Teddington Clarke or simply Ted, was first introduced to Instagram in January 2020. Sharing a few photos of her pup on Instagram, the 36-year-old Game of Thrones had written then: “He just can’t stop. He physically.cannot.stop being the MOST BEAUTIFUL PUPPY IN THE ENTIRE WORLD. Erryone meet Ted. Super Ted. My new main squeeze. Light of my goddamn life. Ready to fill this instagram feed to bursting whilst still being able to leave room in a teacup.” Based on the over 2 million likes garnered within a short time then, it’s safe to say that Ted had already become a star. The ‘mother of dragons’ is also mom to another dog, Roxy.