- - USA TODAY and Yahoo may earn commission from links in this article. Pricing and availability subject to change.Rob Lowe says dog adoptions should be like a Hollywood 'screen test'

Wendy Naugle, USA TODAYDecember 24, 2025 at 5:00 AM

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Rob Lowe at the 2025 FOX Fall Junket at Fox Studio Lot on Sept. 16, 2025 in Los Angeles.

Rob Lowe always has a house full of dogs. Currently there’s Owen and Olive, German shorthaired pointer half-siblings, Bella, a greyhound/Chihuahua mix, and Daisy, Oscar and Bob, all partially related to the Jack Russell terrier Lowe and his wife of 34 years, Sheryl Berkoff, had when their sons Matthew, 32, and John Owen, 30, were in grade school. (Fun fact: Lowe gave Oscar that name so the actor could say that he "got an Oscar.")

In the past year, the Golden Globe winner and host of “The Floor” has also partnered with Ultimate Pet Nutrition. Since the holidays are a peak time for families to adopt a pet, we caught up with “The West Wing” and “St. Elmo’s Fire” star, 61, about a few of things he’s learned from his beloved dogs.

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When you walk in the door, which dog is the first to greet you?

They fight over it. It depends on who's the most amped at any given time. Usually Daisy is the one who forces her way to front of the line.

You’ve said each of your dogs has a distinct personality. Is there one that’s most like you?

You know, when I was younger and much prettier, people accused me of wearing makeup. So I would say Bob, who is a man who does look like he's wearing eyeliner. He takes after his father! (laughs)

With a pack of dogs, who walks them? Who's the pooper scooper?

It takes a village. It's truly, truly takes a village. Sheryl and of course folks who've been helping us at our house for years (all help). I am best at walks and swimming. All of our dogs love to swim. At the beach in the summer, Owen in particular will swim for hours. There have been times where I've looked out to the horizon and just seen a dot and I'm worried he's gonna get tired and drown and he won't. But I'm always worried about it, so sometimes I have to swim out and get him. If he's too far away, I have to use a paddleboard to go get him. He’s had a fight with a seal. He's had a fight with a cormorant bird, a fight with a pelican. He's not to be not to be tangled with that boy. He's living quite his life in the water!

Rob Lowe with his wife Sheryl Berkoff at the Breakthrough Prize in Santa Monica, Calif., on April 5, 2025. "Sometimes Cheryl and I look at each other like, 'This is ridiculous,'" he says about the number of dogs they have.

Is there a moment when you realized that pet adoption is not just a good thing to do, but a really important thing to do?

Every two to three years we have done our big, mass animal rescue. We have mobile vets at the house and mobile groomers and a database of families who are looking for dogs and we (connect them with) local shelters. (One year) we had done that already, but we were picking up my son from the airport from his first semester from college and we decided to go to the shelter. Just on a whim, “Let's go to the shelter.” And we were looking around, and Matthew came out with our dog that's now Bella.

He found her not out in the area where the dogs are that they're looking for adoption. He had wandered into a back area and found one lonely dog, in a cage. We later found out she was going to be put down the next day because she was ill. And we convinced them to let us be the new family. And I just think of how that that dog's life changed. It was literally one day away from being euthanized. Instead she’s the grand dame, the matriarch, of our family, and has been for years now.

You’ve brought together so many dogs with different temperaments. What have been the biggest challenges of your blended dog family?

Getting people – (laughs) people, that's all you – getting dogs that fit in with the pack. We've had times where we've brought in a new dog and it was not a good fit, and we then would rehouse that dog, and it's been the best thing ever for that dog.

Some dogs are meant to be by themselves, and they really are not good around other dogs. You have to be aware that, like a human, they have their own wants and needs, and it's all about the chemistry of the house.

Do you feel like there's something that a lot of people still get wrong about rescue dogs?

If anything, I'm encouraged because it's a badge of honor. It's the first thing anybody wants to tell you. “Oh, here's Spot. He's a rescue dog.” Everybody is very proud of changing the dog's life, so that's really a good thing. Everybody (used to go) to a pet store, and that has changed a ton, which is great because there are so many amazing animals looking for a home. It's cliché, but it’s true, rescue dogs have the best personalities.T

The Lowe family – Matthew, John Owen, Rob and Sheryl – at the 'Unstable' premiere on March 23, 2023 in Los Angeles. Matthew found the family's dog Bella at a shelter. Now she's 'the grand dame, the matriarch' of the pack, Rob says.

Your family lost Stewie in September, and you've said that losing a dog can be one of the hardest experiences a family can endure. What have pets have taught you about grief?

I remember the first dog that we had to put down. I couldn’t be around it. I didn't want to know. And the next time it happened, I thought, I'm going to be there for this for this animal.

And now, when that horrible day comes it's, in a weird way, a really fulfilling closure to be able to be there and be of comfort to your beloved. I hate it, it's sad. But I try to be strong and soothing. And I always find it to be a really profound experience to be a part of. So I would just recommend to folks to be there if they can handle it, because it’s really transformative.

You've compared raising dogs to raising kids – the hikes, the beach trips, the early mornings. Is there anything you think your dogs have taught you about being a better parent?

The same lesson that that I learned from my actual kids: patience, discipline, fun, attention. Those are the magic ingredients I think to not only a well-rounded pup but a well-rounded kid. And keep them keep them both away from junk food.

1 / 17Paws and Claus: See the most festive dogs rocking holiday apparelA dog wearing a Santa Claus costume takes part in the Santa Parade Tokyo on November 16, 2025 in Tokyo, Japan. About 3,000 people joined the charity event held in Tokyo’s Shibuya district, where part of the participation fee goes toward Christmas presents for hospitalized children.

Speaking of junk food, you’ve partnered with Ultimate Nutrition.

One of the things I see so much is that people blindly feed their dog kibble, which is really bad for your dog. I used to think it was great if I just poured hot water in it, like that was gonna make a difference. Or my fancy friends are cooking gourmet meals for their dogs, which aren’t necessarily any better either. So this line of pet nutrition is really simple and easy and has everything a dog needs. (With my dogs) their coats are better, their energy, their mood. They're never lethargic. They're either active, which they should be, or they're taking a nap, which they should do, but they're not lethargic.

This is obviously the time of year when a lot of people get dogs, often puppies, as holiday presents. Any advice for families who are searching for the right dog?

I’m not a big believer in surprise. Audition them – treat it like it's Hollywood and give them a screen test. Spend some time with them beforehand. I've always found that that works very very well. It also helps, especially with young kids, in getting them to stick with their part of the bargain and do some of the work of caring for the pet.

People joke about being a dog person or a people person. How about you: Would you rather spend time with your dogs or a room of full of Hollywood people?

Oh come on now, that's not even close! I would rather be with my dogs than almost 90 percent of the people out there. And I know that all my friends and everybody in my life absolutely understands.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rob Lowe has some thoughts about surprise puppy presents

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