Designer clothes, exotic holidays, mansions, and fast cars - celebrities are all about the new and the now except when it comes to their pets.
From the shores of Mzansi to the palm tree lined boulevards of Hollywood, these celebrities are some of the biggest advocates for animal rights.
By growing their fur families in the most ethical way possible, they have proven just how rewarding animal adoption is.
Here a list of seven celebrities who adopted pets:
Billie Eilish
During lockdown, five-time Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter Billie Eilish kept herself busy by fostering two gorgeous pound pups from Angel City Pitbulls while staying at her parents’ Los Angeles house.
However, it seems she enjoyed their company a little too much as it resulted in what Eilish joked was a “foster failure”.
The term is used to humorously describe the moment when a person who was solely meant to provide temporary care and shelter for a rescued pet decides to keep them instead of returning them to be adopted by someone else.
Heading to Instagram Stories she announced the happy news with a post that read: “As for this little nameless monkey … you are miiiiiiiiiiiine!!!”
The newest member of the Eilish fur family has a silky coat of grey and gets along well with the long-time Eilish family dog.
“If you’re looking for things to do while we’re all stuck at home, foster some babies,” Eilish said to her fans.
Charlize Theron
Having grown up on a farm near Benoni, South Africa, Oscar-winner Charlize Theron has an innate adoration for animals. With several adopted pets of her own, the actress has been forthright about being an animal rights advocate through her support of organisations like PETA and Best Friends Animal Society.
While she’s rescued many animals before, she’s currently the dog mom of two.
Her social media is scattered with pictures of her two fluffy pooches, Leo and Cleo, who can be seen napping in front of the fireplace, celebrating birthdays with cake and party hats and cuddling with the blonde beauty in bed.
Meghan Markle
One of the charitable causes that Meghan Markle has continuously shown support for, even while on maternity leave, is animal shelters.
Sharing her love for rescue dogs, Markle adopted her first dog named Bogart thanks to the gentle coaxing of Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi.
By the time Makle was dating Prince Harry, she had adopted her second pet, a Beagle named Guy that she managed to take with her all the way to the UK.
Sharing her love for rescue animals, she wrote an introduction for the annual report for Mayhew, an animal welfare charity working to improve life for cats, dogs and the people in their community in London and internationally.
"As a proud rescue dog owner, I know from personal experience the joy that adopting an animal into your home can bring," she wrote.
"The role that we, as people, play in re-homing and rescuing these animals is vital, but the role of organisations such as Mayhew is unparalleled."
Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Aniston welcomed a third dog to her family of pooches with Lord Chesterfield.
She shared the news to her Instagram account with a video of the tiny pup who fell asleep with a chew treat in his mouth.
“He stole my heart immediately. A huge thank you to @wagmorpets for the incredible work you do. Grateful you take such great care of these rescues and find them their forever homes,” she said in the caption.
Ian Somerhalder
Most famous for his role in “The Vampire Diaries”, Hollywood heart-throb, Ian Somerhalder, is also known for being a huge animal rights activist.
He and his wife, actress Nikki Reed, also have a daughter named Bodhi, a couple of horses, and an ever-expanding litter of fostered and adopted dogs and cats.
His social media is practically dedicated to spreading awareness about the #AdoptDontShop movement.
In a picture depicting the actor sitting on a sunny deck, cuddling two dogs, Somerhalder shared: “It blows my mind that we hurt and kill millions of these animals per year.
“We put them in cold kennels waiting to die while other dogs sit in puppy mills or in pet stores and dog-fighting rings to be torn up.”
Commenting on a dogs’ ability to love unconditionally, he went on to say, “Let's stop abandoning, fighting and killing these incredible creatures - adopt, spay, neuter, donate, volunteer, whatever you can do to help.”
Receiving recognition for the role he has played in promoting pet adoption and rescue, in 2015 Somerhalder was presented with the ASPCA “Dog’s Best Friend” award, which is reserved for “a celebrity who has done a great deal to advance dog-related causes and the welfare of homeless dogs”.
Pearl Thusi
Queen Sono star, Pearl Thusi, has three dogs - Maya, Smokey and Marley. In an interview with an online publication, Thusi shared that she adopted Maya from a family member and rescued Smokey in Eldos, Joburg.
The trio are often seen on walks around their neighbourhood or at the park with Thusi often calling the two bigger dogs: “Body guards, cuddle buddies, friends and personal trainers all in one.”
JP Duminy
Former South African international cricketer, JP Duminy, adopted a new member into his canine clan with little Molly.
In an Instagram post, his wife Sue shared that the pup was rescued from awful living conditions.
“Molly was very thin and malnourished and subjected to horrible cruelty and neglect.
“Thanks to her foster parents for all the TLC, Molly has picked up weight and just recovered from severe ringworm infestation.
“We can’t wait to give Molly all the love, care and happiness every dog deserves,” she said.
The adoption was done through African Tails, a registered non-profit organisation in Cape Town with a focus on mass sterilisation as well as animal rescue and adoption.
This isn’t the first rescue the dog-loving Duminys have adopted. In 2012 the couple adopted a rescued puppy named Dimples.
The sportsman was introduced to Dimples by his wife, who does volunteer work with the SPCA. “She has got quite a unique story.”
Dimples was rescued from the streets of Eerste River when she was 10 weeks old.
The dog was unable to use her legs and was infected with hookworm parasites.
The couple nursed the puppy back to health to become an integral part of their family life.