Wags to riches: Patrick Stewart and his foster pit bull terrier
No-Kill Los Angeles (NKLA) is an initiative led by Best Friends that brings together passionate individuals, city shelters and a coalition of animal welfare organizations to end the killing of dogs and cats in Los Angeles shelters by the year 2017.
Our NKLA coalition partners are saving lives every day. We never get tired of hearing stories about those dogs and cats who are saved, and we think you’ll love them, too. Here’s an extra special one from Wags and Walks.
Actor Patrick Stewart has a new leading lady, and their love story is burning up the screen.
Her name is Ginger. She's his foster pit bull.
Patrick and his wife, musician Sunny Ozell, took Ginger into their home ― and their lives ― about two weeks ago. They are fostering Ginger through Wags and Walks, a Los Angeles-based rescue group and NKLA Coalition partner.
The dog, whom Sunny describes as an "angel in fur," has starred in many charming Facebook videos since her arrival.
Ginger's growing legion of fans, understandably, can't get enough of seeing the dog being loved on by her adoring foster parents.
That includes Lesley Brog, founder of Wags and Walks, who says the videos "make me cry every day."
This is a real wags-to-riches story for the lucky Ginger.
Lesley initially found Ginger in a Los Angeles-area shelter. Instantly recognizing that this dog, like so many shelter dogs, would make a wonderful companion, Lesley got her out of the shelter and brought her into Wags and Walks.
"She was the best girl in the whole world," says Lesley.
Ginger then spent some time waiting for her big break in the Best Friends NKLA Pet Adoption Center, where Wags and Walks has five kennel spaces for their dogs. It came when Patrick, in the course of working on an anti-dogfighting campaign with the ASPCA, decided he wanted to foster a pit bull.
That group reached out to Wags and Walks, and Lesley says, "We jumped on the opportunity to help match up Ginger with the legendary actor. The love story began."
Lesley is, naturally, thrilled at this blockbuster opportunity to introduce a whole new audience to the incredible joys of fostering, and to help blocky-headed shelter dogs get their moment in the spotlight.
Marc Peralta, executive director of Best Friends–Los Angeles says, “It's so much fun to see these videos go viral. The message comes through loud and clear that dogs are individuals. While people might think pit bull terriers are scary, Ginger is anything but. They also show how rewarding it is to foster a homeless pet.”
And like the rest of us, Lesley is biting her nails, waiting for each happy new installment of the Ginger, Patrick and Sunny love story.
"They care about her so much. They love her so much," says Lesley. "They're in love with each other."
Learn more about NKLA and all our partners
Photos and videos courtesy of Wags and Walks