Beth Ostrosky Stern Talks About Dogs, Cats and Husband Howard Stern

May 19th 2010

Beth Ostrosky Stern and her megastar husband Howard Stern have two pets: an English bulldog named Bianca Romijn-Stamos-O'Connell, and a newly adopted, special-needs cat named Apple. A lifelong animal lover, Ostrosky Stern is the author of the new book, "Oh My Dog: How to Choose, Train, Groom, Nurture, Feed, and Care for Your New Best Friend." She took a few minutes to talk to us about her book and living life with a pampered bulldog.

Why did you write "Oh My Dog"?
I go on TV shows and talk about my work with animal rescue, and my husband talks about my work. And because of my association with [North Shore Animal League America] and hearing my husband talk about me, people just assume that I'm this animal expert. People ask me dog questions on a regular basis, and I'm not a dog expert; I just love animals! [But] when I realized there is so much bogus information out there I thought, why don't I take all of these experts that I know who are at the top of their field, give them all the questions I've been asked over the years, and come up with a guide?

It's filled with invaluable information that you never thought you needed to know, but once you read the book, you're going to be so glad it's there. It's something to keep with your doggie supplies. For example: What is the normal [body] temperature for my dog? That's what I hope people will use it for, to answer quick questions.

Is Howard a softie with your pets?
He's in love with this dog. And now this cat, Apple, just sits at his table. Howard plays chess, and she sits on his desk and watches him, and it's the cutest thing ever. Bianca at his feet and Apple at his desk.

Do you think some people go too far in treating their dogs like children?
Yeah. You see the crazies, but I guess I'm a crazy too.

Well, you're not dressing her up.
I do for fun. Bianca accompanies me to a lot of TV shows. She was on ["The Tyra Banks Show"] with me, and I put her in a bridesmaid outfit because I was talking about my wedding and how cute it would be if Bianca was in my wedding. So I do dress her up for fun for TV. But on a regular basis, no.

And Howard doesn't want to walk a dog with a pink leash and collar. He's a little macho. So we have a red leash and harness for her. But we don't go overboard.