Drew Barrymore’s life is filled with pets, just as she likes it

By Lisa Respers France, CNN

(CNN) — Ask Drew Barrymore what breed of dog she would be were a canine and she doesn’t even hesitate to answer.

“Corgi,” she told CNN. “No question.”

And why a corgi?

“Well, my daughters and I love their fluffy butts,” she said. “I relate to the tiny legs and they’re just so cute.”

The actor, producer and daytime talk show host is a pet mom to quite a crew: two dogs, four cats, a bearded dragon, a fish and a snake named Cecil, but with the “c” pronounced like a hard “s” as a snake would hiss.

Barrymore adores animals. She said she wept the most writing her memoir “Wildflower” when she shared a story about her beloved dog, Flossie, who lived to be almost 17.

So, it made sense for Barrymore to partner with Ring for a new campaign announced Monday. “Ring Pet Portraits” invites pet parents to join the company in raising funds for animal shelters in need by sharing their favorite pet videos and pictures.

When people share a pet video or photo post on Instagram or TikTok using #RingPets through June 14, Ring will make a donation to support ASPCA and local animal shelters across the US.

Barrymore even filmed a commercial with her dog, Douglas, in support of the campaign (Jeremy, her bearded dragon, makes a cameo) in which she has to explain to her pup that she can’t submit his photo because he’s a “nepo puppy.”

She recently lost her golden retriever, Lucy, a month ago, an experience Barrymore said “was so hard.”

“The whole show built like a memorial wall to her, which was so sweet. ‘cause everyone in the building was so affected,” she said. “When we all started in Covid, we weren’t allowed to have guests or people. So, I would bring the dogs and they just made everything feel so much safer and cozier.”

Barrymore has been connected to animals almost since the beginning.

She began her acting career as an infant and her first commercial was for a Purina puppy chow when she was a toddler. As a young adult she shared her home with cats and now as a 49 year-old mother of two young daughters her pets are a big part of the family.

“There’s just this like, unspoken relationship that you have this connection, this constant companion, this love that is just so profound,” Barrymore said. “My dogs sleep in my bed with me and so do my cats and it makes me feel like a whole human being.”

“It’s funny because I won’t sleep with my friends,” she added. “I’m weird about sharing a bed, but with my kids and animals, I’m like, ‘Come on, let’s do this.’”

She joked that she could have used a Ring camera on set as Lucy loved to wander around her daytime talk show.

“We use cameras to watch babies. I certainly had many, many baby monitors,” she said. “Oh my God. Between the two kids. I felt like I was wrapped up in baby monitor cords. So yes, I’m like, this totally makes sense.”

And while she loves the family she’s built, Barrymore said she’s not anxious to grow it.

“After we lost Lucy, the girls were like, we should get another dog for Douglas,” she said. “And I’m like, another dog for Douglas will be my undoing. I can’t do it right now. I think it’ll be a minute.”

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