Heavy Petting

Down boy, this post is about stars and their pets (or, at least, dogs and cats that they posed with), not romantic petting! Apologies in advance if we come upon a picture or two that are from movie or TV publicity and not just a candid shot. As a dog lover, I already did a tribute to canine stars, but this post is more about the unsung doggies (and some cats thrown in for quasi-equal time) who brought their celebrity pals some enjoyment. Incidentally, this is former Saturday Night Live star Jon Lovitz and his exceedingly happy friend. Now, let's begin to pet!

This is Miss Gladys Cooper, later to be a craggy troublemaker for countless movie heroines, but at this point a prominent stage actress considered one of the most beautiful in the world.

Miss Mary Pickford, one of Hollywood's earliest superstars of the cinema, weighs in with two furry friends!

Handsome western icon Randolph Scott is bookended by some beautiful, but intensely staring, pooches. Note how their leashes are conjoined into one.

Clara Bow, The "It" Girl, enjoys a frisky little pal.

Screen songbird Jeannette MacDonald takes time out from warbling opposite Nelson Eddy to frolic in the grass with an English sheepdog.

This dog and owner picture features a big wooden door and George Brent.  (Brent is the one in the white sweater! Bahdumbump!) 

Singer-actor-bandleader Rudy Vallee, always a dog-lover, cozies up to one of his canine companions.

Ill-fated Jean Harlow poses with a pal during one of her many photo shoots.

Carole Landis, another blonde who died (by her own hand) ahead of her time, enjoys a pair of energetic puppies.

What the hell.  While we're in the premature death realm, I give you the pretty, but tragic, Gail Russell during happier times with a cocker spaniel companion.

This is a pretty relaxed portrait of the often glamorous Contance Bennett and her cocker spaniel.  LOVE the pool chaise behind her, by the way.

Clearly, this was a popular breed of dog, for isn't this one with Lauren Bacall, too?

Roy Rogers is known for his faithful horse Trigger, but he also had the trusty sidekick Bullet.

The King, Mr. Clark Gable, strikes a pose with this Irish setter.

Elizabeth Taylor always had several dogs around, but enjoyed animals in general.  Here she is as a young girl cuddling a cat.

You most often spot men with dogs and ladies with cats, but here is Dirk Bogarde stroking a very contented Siamese cat.

Likewise, Miss Vivien Leigh enjoys the company of a Siamese.

Deborah Kerr has a Siamese, but also two dogs here, creating her own rendition of The Incredible Journey!

Yvonne De Carlo, light years from Lily of The Munsters, is looking very svelte and sultry here while a bemused poodle looks on with cocked head.

Equally leggy sex bomb Jayne Mansfield, during what appears to be the early days of her career, dispenses din din to a doggie friend. Note the personalized house number.

Not to be outdone, Marilyn Monroe chooses to show plenty of leg, too, but with a far more diminutive comrade.

A young Anita Ekberg has quite an adorable little friend perched on her shoulder.

Glenn Ford and then-wife Eleanor Powell get a pawful greeting from their pooch.

Jean Simmons poses with her pooldle... er, poodle, by the pool.

Anne Francis makes sure her little fur ball gets plenty of exercise.

Natalie Wood appears to have taken her pet poodle to court with her!  Now that's a movie star, folks...

Princess Margaret of England has, not a Corgi, but a King Charles Cavalier Spaniel as her traveling companion.

I don't know if Jackie Gleason and his wife and daughters ought to expect much piano music out of their Boston Terrier!

No picture-perfect home is complete without a canine, so of course Rock Hudson and his "just add water" wife Phyllis Gates have one!

There is nothing like Dame Judith Anderson sharing a moment with her two faithful friends.

Gene Tierney, during the time of her return to the big screen in Advise & Consent, takes a licking from her poodle.

Here we have Janis Paige checking the fit of a doggie sweater she's in the process of knitting.

Tuesday Weld cuddles up to a beautiful (and sturdy) pooch.

Kim Novak enjoys a soothing moment with a Siamese (perhaps the one she worked with on Bell, Book and Candle?)

Peggy McKay shakes hands with her fluffy buddy.  McCay, who'd done a wealth of TV from the 1950s on, eventually settled in for a three-decade run on Days of Our Lives as Caroline Brady.

Which hairstyle commands your attention the most?  Priscilla Presley's ozone-searing helmet or her poodle's makeshift ponytails?

Yorkshire terriers were (and are) another popular breed. Here, Hope Lange caresses one.

And here pet-lover Audrey Hepburn takes hers for a spin. Hepburn had, for a brief while, a pet deer (!) that she got close to during Green Mansions.

Oh, you lucky dog... getting to sprawl across the lap of hunky Hugh O'Brian!

It's Sommer time.  It looks like German actress Elke Sommer was either helping to teach her dog to swim or was fishing it out of the pool after a near-drowning!

Another European beauty, Ursula Andress, snuggles with her pet cat.

And here is Danish star Anna Karina taking a break with her vaguely menacing looking little cat.

Sex kitten Ann-Margret enjoys a drink while slinking onto the couch with her feline friend.

Henry Fonda, with wife Shirlee, is covered in canines during this photo shoot at home.

This is likely a shot for a TV-movie or show, but I liked the mutt that is shown here with Earl Holliman.

1970s New Orleans Saints linebacker Adrian Young is a lesser-known sports figure, but how could I omit this shot of him with a towering Great Dane?!  You know your dog is sizable when he can stand eyeball to eyeball with a professional football player!

It's a shame that Little House on the Prairie star Melissa Sue Anderson didn't wear a bow in her hair or she and her pup could have entered a pet/owner lookalike contest!  LOL

Nothing keeps a fella warmer than a Shih Tzu wrapped around one's neck, as Jerry Lewis finds out here.

As he's shirtless and all, I don't think warmth was an issue for Jan-Michael Vincent and his companion.  They're just enjoying a beautiful day together outside.

Ken, this one's for you.  Ubiquitous '70s actress Karen Black cuddling with her favorite moppet.

McCloud star Dennis Weaver demonstrates that cats and dogs can live in harmony. (Actually, I have many friends who own both types of animals and they never have the slightest issue.)

This may also be a TV-movie or series still, but both Mark Harmon and his happy co-pilot are too handsome to leave out of this post.

I cannot tell you all the hilarious captions I almost put forth over this shot of Jessica Lange and her downright obese cat!

I do love this colorful photo of Charlene Tilton posing with a soft, white feline.

Delta Burke nibbles on a salad in this interesting shot.  Note that her dog has a fancy-cut radish resting on its nose! (And there's a little pad for the pooch to rest on, lest he or she should bring unwanted mess to the lunch table!)

Zsa Zsa Gabor (in, perhaps, the planet's most hideous jacket) cuddle closely to her beloved doggie.

Donna Mills enjoys the best of both worlds with a cat in one arm and a dog in the other.

Was this an aborted audition photo for a Stepford Wives remake?  Marlo Thomas looks quite plasticine in this shot (and does anyone ever have to navigate the flower-pot infested stairs behind her or do they lead to nowhere?!)

This ain't nothin' but a hound dog... being petted by country superstar Reba McEntire.

We adore Kathy Bates and like this shot of her with her little Yorkie playmate.

A cat could do worse than being nuzzled by actor Viggo Mortensen.

As we get near the close of this post (finally!), there are three stars in particular who have tirelessly worked for the benefit of animals in general, but particularly cats and dogs.  Miss Doris Day has devoted an extraordinary amount of her time to the welfare of dogs and other animals since her premature retirement from the screen.

Bob Barker, a lifetime animal lover, was famed for his requests to spay and neuter pets and for sacrificing his lucrative twenty-year position as the host of the Miss USA pageant when they refused to stop awarding furs to the winner.

And then there's the staggeringly successful Betty White, who somehow still seems to do it all as she passes the ninety-year mark, yet has never wavered in her fight for the betterment of animals.  It's sad to me that she and Bob Barker are not speaking, thanks to a disagreement over how a matter regarding an elephant at the Los Angeles Zoo should have been handled, because they are both such dedicated activists.

Of course, sometimes the tables get turned and an animal wants to have a human on his lap! Take this shot of McGruff the Dog taking time to bounce Webster's Emmanuel Lewis on his knee!  LOL And, with that, I conclude this exercise in petting.