CMT Blog: pets

Richie McDonald thinks it’s good for kids to grow up around animals. “I think it teaches responsibility,” he says. So it’s not surprising the McDonald family has four dogs: Two Shih Tzus, a Peek-a-Poo named Roscoe and a collie named Luke, rescued from an animal shelter three years ago. “They’re all part of the family,” says McDonald, who describes how he went to great lengths to keep that family together. “Luke had been badly abused,” he says. “We knew he was chained to a tree for a good part of his life. When we first got him he would hardly come to any of us, and then over the years we gained his trust — especially the kids.

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A demanding career as an entertainer would be exciting enough for most people, but not for Chris Cagle. In addition to his music, Cagle owns his own horse breeding operation. “My dad kind of makes fun of me,” says Cagle. “He’s like, ‘You couldn’t just get a guitar for your birthday and play it around the house, you had to go be a star. And you can’t just get a horse and ride around in your backyard, you have to go have a performance athlete and start a breeding program and this and that.’ It’s just kind of the way I’m made.”

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Known for her fiery red hair, powerful voice and the spunky attitude that’s apparent in many of her songs, Jo Dee Messina comes across as one tough cookie (albeit a tough cookie with a big smile on her face). It’s not surprising to hear she has the determination and drive to be a successful marathon runner, or the work ethic to tour regularly and also travel the country as a spokesperson for the Special Olympics. But what might surprise some people is what a softie Messina is when it comes to two little (furry) things: Her dogs. “I have two dogs,” says Messina. “One is a Lhasa Apso-Bichon Frise mix. His name is Russel. The other is a Great Pyrenees-Beagle mix named Bella.”

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They might have fame and fortune, but country stars are not uppity when it comes to pets. For many of country’s brightest stars, you can’t beat the love of a good mutt.

Miranda Lambert is famous for her support of shelter pets. She adopted her treasured mix-breed Delilah from the Humane Society, and she recently rescued two Lab-mix puppies that had been abandoned by the roadside. “There are so many great animals that need a home,” she says. “Don’t go buy a brand new dog when there’s a great dog out there that needs to be loved.”

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A lot of people get a new dog and just assume he’s going to know how to behave — like staying in the yard and coming when called are natural behaviors. The most important training to most people is teaching the dog that the house is not his own giant, nicely furnished urinal. But professional trainers say it’s important to teach your dog to obey, especially to come when called. It’s a potentially life-saving behavior: Stories abound of dogs preoccupied with the thrill of chasing each other, ignoring their owners’ calls and running in front of cars.

Taking time to train your dog doesn’t have to be a chore. It can be an enjoyable bonding process. Luke Bryan works with his dog Maggie to keep her hunting skills sharp. “I’ve worked with her in the yard a bit trying to teach her a couple of things,” Bryan says. “She’s got all the sit and heel down, but if I’m dove hunting and there are some birds coming in, I don’t want her running all over the field. I just have to work with her to make sure she doesn’t break. She’s one of the sharpest dogs I’ve ever seen.”

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Miranda Lambert has a 700-acre farm full of animals, including chickens, goats and a miniature horse. She recently rescued two puppies from the side of a local road to add to the menagerie. Yep, you might call her an animal lover.

But when she adopted her dog Delilah from the Humane Society of East Texas a couple of years ago, Lambert got serious about helping animals. Now she’s organized her first benefit for the humane society, a silent auction and concert called Cause for the Paws, scheduled for April 20 in North Tyler, Texas. Joining her in concert are Blake Shelton, Kacey Musgraves and Adam Hood.

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Jessica Simpson may be moving into a $3.5 million home in Nashville, where she’s planning a country album. Looks mighty nice from the air.

Randy Travis is heading to California for a William Shatner charity event. Wonder if he got a good deal on Priceline.com?

An American Idol finalist’s dream duet is with her favorite male singer, Jason Aldean.

Two of Nashville’s finest citizens, Emmylou Harris and mother, Eugenia, talk about pet adoption in this new public service announcement.

“Foggy Mountain Breakdown” is turning 50, so Gibson is building a new, limited edition Earl Scruggs banjo, with the first five signed by the man himself.

Legendary artist Emmylou Harris was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame this year, a recognition she richly deserves for her long and lauded career in country music. But these days low-key Harris is more interested in her other calling: “Animals…that’s what I want to devote my life to now,” she told the Humane Society recently.

Harris operates an animal rescue/fostering organization, Bonaparte’s Retreat, which saves “unadoptable” dogs from the Nashville Humane Association and dogs who have run out of time at Metro Nashville Animal Control. “We don’t take puppies, we take the big black dogs and yellow dogs that to some people might seem ordinary—but those of us who know dogs know there’s no such thing as an ordinary dog,” says Harris.

Harris explains the origins Bonaparte’s Retreat, which is named not only for a famous folk tune but also her favorite canine companion. “I had this dog named Bonaparte that I adopted in ‘92,” she says. “He became my road dog — he went everywhere with me. When I lost him in 2002, I felt I’d lost my best friend, and I didn’t think I’d get another dog. But I started thinking that maybe I could foster some dogs. That way I wouldn’t be getting another dog, I’d be helping dogs, to honor the memory of my pal.”

Harris started slowly, taking in a few dogs in three dog-runs in her backyard. She now has several volunteers and works with other rescue organizations to find homes for abandoned dogs, no matter how long it takes. “We’ve had dogs for as long as a year and a half,” she says. “Sometimes there are problems with shyness. We have a dog now that has some fear aggression because he’s been hit so much. He’s coming around with a lot of training and love and regimentation. You just have to commit that however long it takes, we will find the right home.

“I would say we’ve had around three dozen dogs,” she continues. “We can’t do a lot, but we have a real good partnership with Happy Tails [rescue organization], which allows us to be kind of official, and we’re very committed to Nashville Humane and all the other wonderful organizations.

“The main thing on our agenda is to try and get mandatory spaying and neutering to cut down drastically the number of all these dogs and cats. Until we do that, it’s just going to be an endless tragedy. In 2006 there were nearly 11,000 dogs and cats euthanized, most of them just because nobody adopted them. Perfectly healthy, perfectly wonderful pets, and all they needed was a chance.

“We just encourage people, spay and neuter your pets,” she emphasizes. “And if you’re looking for a pet, please go to the shelters first. And I always feel dogs and cats are happier when they have a companion, so one is not enough!”

Miranda Lambert wasted no time in putting her country music stardom to good use. The self-described animal lover uses her celebrity to help homeless pets in her home state. “I hate to think of abused animals and animals that are uncared for,” she says Lambert. “I wish I could adopt them all, but I can’t, so I do what I can to spread the message and help raise funds for the local Humane Society of East Texas.”

Lambert does have a dog in this fight, so to speak. She adopted her treasured four-legged pal Delilah from a pound. “She is a white, wiry-haired mutt, and she’s a total diva,” says Lambert. “She’s always on the road with me and makes for a wonderful companion.”

Lambert is quick to point out the qualities that win dogs the title Man’s (and Woman’s) Best Friend. “Her best characteristic is that she loves me unconditionally,” Lambert says. “I can mess up the words to a song on stage and have a terrible show, but when I walk on the bus, she’s always waiting for me and excited to see me.”

Like all dogs, Lambert’s has her own particular personality traits. “One weird quirk is that Delilah won’t pee on anything other than perfect grass,” Lambert giggles. “No concrete, no wood chips, no dirt…only perfect grass. Makes for a fun time when you’re trying to walk her in downtown Chicago!”

When new artist Luke Bryan gets time off from touring to go back to his hometown, he will most likely be found outdoors. “When I go home [to Georgia], outdoor stuff is a big part of what we do. Anytime I get home I’m bee-lining it to the woods,” says Bryan, who sings about his rural upbringing in his new single, “We Rode in Trucks.”

And when he heads for the trees, he often takes his four-legged friend, Maggie. “She’s an English Cocker, black and white, about 25 pounds,” says Bryan. “English Cockers are a little hunting dog that’s popular down in south Georgia. They’re great little retrievers. I’d always grown up with Labs, but it’s gotten too hot in south Georgia now to go hunting with Labs, so English Cockers have gotten popular.”

Bryan says he and his wife got Maggie as a pet, but as an avid hunter, it didn’t take him long to put his pet’s work skills to the test. “I do hunt with her, but not as much as I’d like to,” he says. “She’s pretty incredible at retrieving. My wife’s father has trained a lot of dogs, and he says Maggie is one of the best he’s seen. She’s really smart.

“I think her best characteristic is that she has so much drive and energy,” he continues. “I can take something that will sink and throw it into the shallow end of a swimming pool, about four or five feet deep, she will dive to the bottom to get it. She’s like an otter. She’s just got a lot of drive, and if she sees something to retrieve she will not quit until she gets it.”

Photo credit: Angela Marie Bertrand