We may know Chris Pine as Captain James T. Kirk from the Star Trek reboot movie — his most notable role. While chick flick and romantic comedy fans knew him as Lindsay Lohan’s love interest from the 2006 movie Just My Luck. People and his fans may know him as the actor who played their favorite characters, but his dogs know him as their hero.
In case you don’t know, Pine is an animal lover and a father to two rescue dogs. He’s currently fostering two canines whom he saved from euthanasia last year. In his exclusive interview with PEOPLE, Pine shared about the bond that he had with his first rescue dog, Wednesday. He highlighted three things that he realized over the years spent with Wednesday — love, kindness, and patience. Pine also shared about the “ridiculous” things that his dogs do that make him smile. According to Pine, these are the things that make him a dog parent.
Wednesday was actually quite a new dog in Pine’s adulting life after his heartbreak with his childhood dog named Lucy. Pine was seven years old when his parents adopted Lucy, and he had her for a very long time until her death when Pine was in his 20s. He called Lucy’s death a “shattering” experience since he was studying abroad when it happened.
Because of the heartbreak, Pine went on with his life without having a dog, which was about 15 years. Pine was set not to own another one until he met Wednesday and adopted her in 2016. Wednesday is a rescue pit bull which, according to Pine, changed his life for the better.
In Raising Dogs
Pine opened up to PEOPLE about his experience in raising dogs. He said that it readied him to become a parent to a child one day. The actor called it a “mutual learning in some regard,” as teaching dogs to do this and not to do that is something that also teaches you patience with your little furry friend.
He further highlighted patience in training dogs, as it was a real experience when he trained his pit bull and other rescue dogs. The actor added that one way an owner responds to their dogs ripping the couch is compassion. It may teach dog parents to choose “kindness instead of anger” as it makes people capable of loving.
Six years after adopting his rescue dog Wednesday, Pine adopted Babs, another pit bull from the dog rescue shelter called Wags and Walks, located in Los Angeles.
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Celebrate Adopt a Shelter Dog Month
In case you don’t know, October marks Adopt a Shelter Dog Month, so if you’re thinking of adding a dog to your family, now is the perfect time to drive by a shelter near you and adopt a dog. To encourage people to adopt a dog, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) teamed up with celebrities Drew Barrymore and Dave Bautista. Both of them are rescue dog parents and animal rights advocates, which is why they were chosen by ASPCA.
Throughout the month, Barrymore and Baustista should use their social media platforms to post about adoptable dogs to help them find a loving home. Aside from that, the two will promote The Rescue Effect campaign, which will show the impact of adopting a pet to shelters as they create a space to house other stray animals.
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From The Club
As a chick-flick and romantic comedy fan, I knew Chris Pine as the unfortunate Jake Hardin, who met a very lucky girl named Ashley. In this scene, I see Pine as somewhat of a knight in shining armor for rescue dogs. I appreciate the part wherein he said that kindness over anger must always prevail when it comes to his dogs. There are times when life comes at us that we unintentionally put our anger at our dogs, especially when they’re too needy. However, we must always remember that their time here on earth is short, and we must always spend every day showing kindness to our furry pals.