For the lowdown on why adopting a shelter dog beats buying a pup, ask Elisabeth Rohm.
When she lived in Manhattan, the actress, then a star of TV’s Law & Order, had a purebred Doberman named Venus. A natural athlete, Venus needed lots of exercise, but couldn’t run enough in the city. Venus was unhappy, so Rohm did the right thing: she searched until she found the dog a happy new home, with acres.
After relocating to Los Angeles for film work, Rohm knew how she’d meet her next dog: through a rescue group that could match her lifestyle with a perfectly compatible pet. Six months ago, at Los Angeles’ Amanda Foundation, she came face-to-face with another beautiful blond: a rescued Golden Retriever named Homer.
Lucky Homer now accompanies Rohm everywhere: to the Saratoga set of her new movie Aftermath, and on trips to Manhattan, where Rohm books only dog-friendly hotels. He’s happy to lie at her feet and mind his manners, keeping quiet while on set. "He’s perfect," she says.
Like many rescues, Rohm’s perfect pet needed some work. Found astray in downtown Los Angeles, he arrived at the shelter emaciated, with a broken foreleg. The limb was set but didn’t heal properly, jutting out at an odd angle. So Rohm undertook low-impact swim therapy with Homer three times weekly; now, the leg that some feared might need amputation is perfectly sound.
"I’d never adopted a rescue dog before, and it’s so rewarding," Rohm says. "Now, I’ll never buy from a breeder again. Rescued dogs know they’ve been rescued. You will never have a bond with an animal like you do with one that’s been rescued."
