From Helen Keller to Frank Sinatra to Carrie Fisher, even the biggest celebrities needed a little love from their dogs.
They're our best friends, our protectors, our emotional support. If there's one thing that most of us can agree on, it's that dogs are too pure for this world, and we probably don't deserve them.
From the White House to Hollywood to tiny towns the world over, our dogs keep us company and provide unconditional love. And celebrities are no different than the rest of us: They want the world to meet their pets. The photos above show some celebrity dogs you may have not had the pleasure of seeing before.
A few of these famous dogs got to mingle on Hollywood sets; Audrey Hepburn's Yorkshire terrier, Mr. Famous, even appeared onscreen with her in the movie Funny Face. It was Hepburn who introduced Yorkshire Terriers and little lap dogs to the world of celebrities.
Since then, owning — and flaunting — dogs has become one of the Hollywood elite's favorite pastimes. It's even customary for famous dogs to have their own YouTube channel or appear in their own online videos. Even the "First Dogs" that occupy the White House get in on the action.
At one time or another, our dogs have served as emotional support animals. This is certainly the case with Carrie Fisher and her famous French Bulldog, Gary, who has just as big of a personality as his owner did. The public took to Gary like a moth to a flame.
Gary actually first belonged to Fisher's daughter, Billie Lourd. "I live for Gary... He was mine first and she actually stole him from me because she fell in love with him," Lourd told Today in 2016.
Fisher is gone, but Gary's Instagram account still documents what he's up to these days.
Helen Keller, the author famous for thriving despite being both blind and deaf, was another celebrity who loved dogs. She's pictured above with her guide dog, a German Shepherd, but she had many canine companions throughout her life.
In her 1933 essay, "Three Days to See," she wrote that if her sight were restored, "I should like to look into the loyal trusting eyes of my dogs."
Notably, she is actually responsible for introducing Akitas more widely into the United States.
In 1937, Keller began an extended speaking tour and visited much of Japan. The Japanese people were very much taken with her and her resilience. Because of her fondness for dogs, Keller visited the Akita district, as she had heard the story about Hachiko, the loyal Akita who waited for his owner for nine years after his death.
At the time, the Akita breed was virtually unknown in America. Keller was impressed with them, and mentioned she might like to have one for herself. The Japanese government took this request to heart and contacted an owner and breeder. He gave her an Akita puppy named Kamikaze-go.
Sadly, Kamikaze-go's life was cut short, contracting distemper and died before he was even eight months old. Keller was deeply saddened, saying "If ever there was an angel in fur, it was Kamikaze."
"Angels in fur" may, in fact, be the best way to describe what our pets are to us — famous or not.
After checking out some adorable pictures of celebrities with their dogs, read the famous last words of 41 public figures. Then find out why this woman was arrested for rescuing pets from a hurricane.
