Polly Brewster

Rescue Tails: Portraits of Dogs and Their Celebrities

by Polly Brewster (Subscribe to Polly Brewster's posts): Nov 4th 2009 @ 6:00PM Filed Under: Dogs, Celebrity Pets, Photo Galleries

Fashion photographer Brian Nice spent three years and a lot of nights on friends' couches to put together Rescue Tails: Portraits of Dogs and Their Celebrities, available in stores today. The book is filled with photos of stars and their pooches, all of whom posed in an effort to raise money for the New York Humane Society and Much Love Animal Rescue in Los Angeles.

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Rescue Tails: Portraits of Dogs and Their Celebrities

Meet Buster, faithful companion to Brian Nice, the photographer and creative mind behind Rescue Tails. "I'm grateful to Buster for teaching me that a dog will rescue you, care for you, and love you right back." All proceeds from the book go directly to the New York Humane Society and Much Love Animal Rescue in Los Angeles.

Simon and Schuster

Rescue Tails

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The photographer behind the book, Brian Nice, walked up to actor Ed Burns at a coffee shop in Montauk and asked if he'd pose for his book. "Luckily, he said yes,'" says the photographer's wife, Courtney.

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In Rescue Tails, Brooke Shields says of her pooch, "Darla has been my quiet support during the worst times of my life."

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American Pie star Jason Biggs isn't shy about admitting how much his dogs contribute to his mental health: "My dogs help me relax and put a smile on my face. They have saved me thousands of dollars in therapy and Zoloft."

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The book's creator Brian Nice and his wife, Courtney, loved all the photos in the book, but admitted that their favorite pics were of House star Lisa Edelstein and her three dogs: Sandwich, Bumpa, and Wolfe.

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Actor Mickey Rourke's love of his pets is well known. His chihuahua, Loki, pictured here, died this past February. When Rourke accepted his Golden Globe award for best actor in "The Wrestler," he thanked his dogs saying, "Sometimes when a man's alone, all you got is your dog."

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"The way our house was designed, you have to climb a minimum of one steep flight of stairs to let the dogs out," director Kevin Smith says in the book, "which means [my dogs] Scully and Mulder are responsible for the only form of cardio I get."

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"Jack Johnson [the musician] was the first person who agreed to let me photograph him and his dog," says Brian Nice. "He started it off."

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"Dolores prepared me for motherhood!" actress Debbie Mazar says in Rescue Tails. "My faithful companion for ten years, before my children came into this world, she taught me patience and responsibility."

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Beth Ostrosky Stern writes in her foreword to Rescue Tails, "My family only rescued pets. Our first rescued mutt, Suziedog, brought every one of us unconditional love..." Of her current dog (pictured) she says, "Bianca has taught me that nothing in life should be rushed, and take time to just enjoy each day."

Simon and Schuster

Jennifer Aniston Scared of Losing Her Best Friend

by Polly Brewster (Subscribe to Polly Brewster's posts): Oct 27th 2009 @ 1:00PM Filed Under:

Jennifer Aniston with her pet dog picture

Mansour / X17online

Despite all her troubles in love, there is one guy in Jennifer Aniston's life who has never let her down: Norman, her 14-year old Corgi-Terrier. Photos of the two of them on her movie sets and taking long walks on the beach behind her Malibu home are a common sight in the pages of gossip mags. But according to recent reports, Norman is now suffering from digestive problems, and according to TMZ, Jen is worried that he might not make it much longer.

This is Norman's second health scare of the year. In January, he wandered out of Aniston's house and was almost run over by a car. He was saved by a paparazzo who recognized Norman from photos. After that incident, Aniston spoke openly about her fear of losing a pet. "You have to say goodbye way too soon. It's just so sad. It makes me so sad."

But apparently Aniston isn't ready to say goodbye just yet. This time last year, there were rumors that she was spending up to $250 per week on massage, reiki, and acupuncture treatments to relieve Norman's aching joints. As Aniston said herself, "[A pet's] love is unconditional and I love that."

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Poll: Would You Give Your Pet Mouth-to-Mouth Resuscitation?

by Polly Brewster (Subscribe to Polly Brewster's posts): Oct 26th 2009 @ 1:00PM Filed Under: Pet Health

Flickr/oceanyamaha

An AP Poll released last week reports that 58 percent of animal owners would go mouth-to-snout if they thought it could save their dog or cat. Dog owners were more likely than cat owners (63 percent to 53 percent), and women were 20 percent more willing overall. (And one woman polled would even perform CPR on her parrot, Koko!) Animal CPR doesn't take a rocket scientist; according to a Red Cross spokesperson, it works the same way for animals as it does for humans, only the mouth size is different.

But while many owners were willing to go this far, only 20 percent had a basic pet-first-aid kit in their homes. How about you? How ready and willing are you to help your pet when an emergency strikes?