Celebrity Canines

Actress Ellen Pompeo, best known to TV buffs as Dr. Meredith Grey on Grey's Anatomy, was spotted with one of her McCutie canines at the airport recently. Choosing movie-influenced monikers for her two mini poodles, the Mom-to-be is the proud parent of "Gigi" (seen in the photos below) and "Valentino."

Friday Night Lights cutie Minka Kelly was recently spotted taking a stroll around the set of her upcoming flick The Roommate with the dog who shares her digs, Chewy. Here's hoping that this cuddly canine gets a cameo appearance in the movie-- with such an enthusiastic attitude, he's definitely star material!

Happy birthday to Elvis Jonas, the best bud of teen dream Nick Jonas! The golden retriever, who was named in honor of two of the pop star's preferred singers-- Elvis Costello and Elvis Presley-- turned one on May 27, 2009, an event celebrated with a Twitpic posting of the pooch with his proud Papa.

Now a big boy, we take a look back at the cuddly canine who became a part of Jonas family on Nick Jonas's 16th birthday:

Like anyone lucky enough to have a pawed pal, Elizabeth Taylor tries to spend as much time as possible with her pet. During her recent routine hospital stay, the Tinseltown titan used Twitter to Tweet a request to her celebrity friend Kathy Ireland: "Thanks Darling for the beautiful flowers and all the prayers. Now can you just get my puppy past hospital security. Love."

A dog devotee since her days on the set of her first MGM movie, The Courage of Lassie, La Liz has shared the limelight with a number of canine companions over the years. A maltese dubbed Daisy (seen in the 2008 photo below) was welcomed into the Taylor household in September 2005, just months after the passing of the pet's progenitor Sugar, who was at the star's side at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Beverly Hills during her 2004 stay. One of the loves of her life, the silver screen icon-- voicing the opinion of so many parents of fur babies-- said of Sugar "Sometimes I think there's a person in there. There's something to say for this kind of love-- it's unconditional."

From her days cheering on the LA Lakers to her enthusiastic efforts to shine a spotlight on untapped talent as a judge on American Idol, Paula Abdul is known as a staunch supporter of causes that are close to her heart. This May the reality TV icon-- and noted dog devotee-- is celebrating the work of canine companions during National Guide Dog Month. Through the end of May a picture of Paula Abdul will appear on specially marked bags of Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance dog food sold at PETCO and other independent pet stores as part of a campaign to raise both funds and awareness for guide dog organizations for the visually impaired.

Among the organizations that will benefit from the combined efforts of Paula Abdul, PETCO and the pet-loving public:

• Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation
• Freedom Guide Dogs, Inc.
• Guide Dogs for the Blind, Inc.
• Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind
• Guide Dogs of America
• Guide Dogs of the Desert
• Guide Dogs of Texas, Inc.
• Guiding Eyes for the Blind
• KSDS, Inc.
• Leader Dogs for the Blind
• Pilot Dogs, Inc.
• The Seeing Eye, Inc.
• Southeastern Guide Dogs



Paula Abdul has teamed up with Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Pet Foods and PETCO to celebrate National Guide Dog Month in May and raise money and awareness for guide dog organizations across the country. (PRNewsFoto/PETCO)