This listing has been culled over many years, so some celebrities will currently be Golden-less. There are also listings that are more historical in nature.
 

 
JANE ALEXANDER
JANE ALEXANDER (actress and head of the National Endowment for the Arts) has a Golden named Cody. In Roger Caras' 1997 book, The BOND: People and Their Animals, she indicates that one of the reasons for choosing a Golden Retriever is the ease with which they fit into almost any situation. ""Everyone loves them," Jane says, "they can go anywhere." And Cody does. Ed (husband Ed Sherin, executive producer of the TV series Law and Order) takes him to work every day. He is an office dog and spends hours around the set during filming. Cast and crew members vie for the pleasure of caring for him."

"When asked why she has a dog — a large dog — with the busy life she leads, Jane hesitates because "the answers always sound like clichés." When assured that she is talking to another avowed dog person, she replies, "When I look into Cody's eyes it is like meeting an old soul. Cody is my protector, my friend, my hiking companion. He is wonderful to touch, wonderful to come home to." . . .  When asked if she will ever be without a dog, she smiles and says no."

 

 
VANESSA ALTER
VANESSA ALTER (United States champion gymnast) has a Golden named George.

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PAMELA ANDERSON
PAMELA ANDERSON (actress) has a Golden Retriever named Superstar Bar "Star". Star came from a shelter, rescued by this fair-haired TV lifeguard. Doesn't he look happy on the cover of the Summer 2001 Issue of Animal Fair, a lifestyle magazine for animal lovers, these gorgeous Golden photos taken by Christopher Ameruoso?

This is what Pamela had to say about about her Golden boy in the Animal Fair Cover Story article: "Star was the runt of the litter and was born not breathing. Star was given mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and brought back to life."

Recently (Summer 2005), Pam had this to say about Star: “Star’s like a person; he’s my partner in crime. He’s been with me longer than anybody… I can see how long I’ve been in LA and Hollywood when I look at Star.

“I look at Star and I can see my whole life pass before me. I can remember when he was three months, six months… and whatever I was doing in my career I can kind of judge from the pictures and the memories that I have with Star.

“He’s old for a big dog but he’s very healthy, he’s like a puppy. He has a great spirit and he’s in the water every day, he’s on the beach as much as possible. I think that’s what keeps him young.”

Sad Update: March 18, 2007

"I just lost my 17-year-old golden retriever today ‘STAR’... I'm at a turning point in my life - it's been over a month of carrying him to the grass and holding him up to walk and pee and have some dignity... He has been with me since his birth...as long as I've been in LA. Today is one of the hardest days I've experienced...it shines a light on the 17 years in LA and the good the bad and the ugly." Pamela Anderson

Update: March 29, 2007

Pam just added a new little guy to the family. Boy, is he a cutie. Meet JoJo below, as a pup and somewhat older (2009).

 
 
 


JONATHAN ANTIN
JONATHAN ANTIN (star of Bravo's reality TV show, Blow Out) has Golden Retrievers named Nancy and Alcie. Jonathan indicates that he is an early riser so that he can "enjoy all that's going on" in his life. He wakes up, has his cup of coffee and then goes for a walk with his Goldens.
 


ROBIN ANTIN
ROBIN ANTIN (Pussycat Dolls dance/music troupe creator) has a Golden Retriever named Sugar. Robin told In Touch Weekly that if Sugar was a Pussycat Doll, her name would be Sugar Pop.
 
 
 
SHAWN ASHMORE
SHAWN ASHMORE is a Canadian film and television actor, most famously known in his role as Jake in the Animorphs television series and Iceman in the X-Men films. Shawn has one pet, Jessica, a Golden Retriever, that he got from his grandmother when he was nine.
 


SCOTT BARNES
SCOTT BARNES (makeup artist to the stars) had a Golden Retriever named Max. In a Summer 2001 Animal Fair Magazine article, Scott is shown with his two doggie loves. Max, a cuddly Golden whose face is getting a little gray around the muzzle, was his first and he beams about the fact that "Max has thirty toys and knows the names of all of them."

The article indicates that because business is booming forcing Scott to do a lot of traveling, a new pup was bought to keep Max company. This new guy, Carlo, is the pictured Miniature Pinscher, in a photo taken by Brad Starks. Of course, the two dogs have now grown very close. In fact, Scott says, "If Max goes out of the room, Carlo starts to cry."

 
 


DAVE BARRY
DAVE BARRY (writer) had a Golden Retriever named Earnest.
 


MIKHAIL BARYSHNIKOV
MIKHAIL BARYSHNIKOV has a Golden Retriever named Katya [2007]. When Baryshnikov defected from Russia in 1974, he had to leave his dog behind. We can well imagine how hard that must have been as he is a huge dog lover .

Dogs are a longtime passion of his. "Sometimes I watch dog shows on TV," he says. "The dogs are fine, but the owners!" He lets go of the staircase, and suddenly he's impersonating a whole procession of stuffy dog owners preening over their prize pets. "And if their dog doesn't win ..." His face becomes a kaleidoscope of anguish and hurt pride.

 


JIM BELUSHI
JIM BELUSHI (actor) had a Golden Retriever named Meemo.
 


BILL BLASS
BILL BLASS (clothing designer) has a Golden named Brutus, as well as several others.
 

 
LARA FLYNN BOYLE
LARA FLYNN BOYLE is an American film and television actress best known for her performances as Laura Palmer's best friend Donna Hayward in Twin Peaks and Assistant District Attorney Helen Gamble in The Practice. She likes to spend as much time as she can with her Golden Retriever, Bella
 


JIMMY BUFFETT
JIMMY BUFFETT (popular singer, famous for song "Margaritaville") has a Golden named Cheeseburger.
 


KEN BURNS
KEN BURNS (film documentarian) has a 13-year-old Golden (9/07).
 


LANCE BURTON
MonteLANCE BURTON (Las Vegas magician) has a 4-year-old Golden named Monte. Here, at his home there aren't any white tigers. Instead, there's Monte, a friendly dude who runs on nearly an acre of fenced land, swims in the backyard pool, fetches, grasps basketballs in his mouth, and generally seems the perfect companion for Lance.

Monte was a puppy Golden Retriever when Lance Burton adopted him from the Animal Foundation of Nevada. He is now a very well-trained dog, as Daddy Lance personally gave him lessons in dog obedience. Monte enjoys coming to work with Lance and hanging out with the showgirls backstage. 

 


LeVAR BURTON
LeVAR BURTON (actor) has a Golden named Roy. You can enjoy Roy at the beginning during a bath and near the end of the video where he is celebrating his birthday.

 


JACK CANFIELD
JACK CANFIELD is an American motivational speaker and author. He is best known as the co-creator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series, which currently has nearly 200 titles and 112 million copies in print in over 40 languages. He has a Golden Retriever
 


JANN CARL
JANN CARL (Entertainment Tonight Correspondent) has a 15-year-old! Golden Retriever. [as of 8/2000]
 


NICK CARTER
NICK CARTER (of the Backstreet Boys band) has a Golden Retriever named Simba.
 


CHARISMA CARPENTER
CHARISMA CARPENTER (television actress from shows Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Veronica Mars, martial Buffy The Vampire Slayer.) has two Golden Retrievers. Charisma recently (spring 2006) did a feature with K9 Magazine, answering 20 questions posed by Kim Bruce. Here is some of that article.

Tell us about your pets. Names, breeds and ages, I know you’re a huge animal lover.   Well I have four dogs, I have two Golden Retrievers, Sydney who’s 13 years old and Hurley who’s 9 months, and I have another two dogs - I was at the South Central Shelter encouraging people to adopt and walked out with two dogs myself, one I’m fostering and the other, Lucy, she’s around a year old.

In which one way do you believe dogs to be a superior life form to humans?  I’m sure if they could talk they’d give us an earful! I have a fridge magnet which says “Try to be the person your dog thinks you are”. They’re the perfect example of unconditional love. I do feel as though I fail her (Sydney), she’s been with me through it all, including some tough times, from when we were in a matchbox apartment which I used to share with a friend, we had two beds next to each other, Sydney used to like looking out the window and I’d say to her, one day we’ll have a house with a backyard. Now I say one day we’ll have a house with a backyard and a pool. I hope I get it, she’s 13 years old and I always try to do right by her, she never disappoints me.

Sydney is perfect, she’s very in-tune with me, if I’m watching a saga on TV and I get emotional, she’ll look at me just like she’s checking in, she’s always been there, like my right arm. There’s going to be a day in the near future when she won’t be there.

We had a dog called Hobey, we had him at the same time as we had Hurley, he was a rescue and he was the same age as Sydney when he passed away, we got him when he was 6 years old so we had him for seven years. My husband and Hobey had such a connection, my husband even has a tattoo of Hobie’s paw on his leg. He was very sick for a year, it was the same time as my son was born when he started to decline, and we got him all sorts of treatments.

At the time I was working with my friend Holly Marie Combs (who plays Piper in the hit show Charmed), on a project for ABC, she was going through the same and she gave me a book called “Goodbye Friend”, it helps you determine what time is good, the humane time – it’s a wonderful book, a great comfort.

Describe the last time you had to shout at your pet. I shout at my dogs every day, like “Lucy don’t jump on that” or “dig holes” or “chew on the  bushes” – I’m always shouting. Like now I can see outside and I can see the bushes moving and Sydney is just watching, I sometimes have to make her go outside for some fresh air, she’d be quite happy to lay next to me all day.

Describe the last time you had to go to the vet. The last time was when my dog Sydney had an ear infection and it was not getting any better. The time before that was when we were in a park in an area I call a slice of heaven in California and we were shooting “Veronica Mars”. Sydney was with me and someone was throwing the ball for her, and she’s the kind of dog you know who’ll just keep going and run herself into some kind of fit. Anyway she was running and there was some kind of a hole and she took a very nasty tumble and came out holding her leg high. I took her to a vet up there to give her something for the pain, she saw the vet and nothing was broken, she had some swollen tissue. I took her to our vet back home, I’ve had the same vet for 13 years, I love him.

Robert Benchley famously said "A dog teaches a boy fidelity, perseverance and to turn around three times before lying down." What have you learned from your dog?  Ha, ha, patience. My dog Sydney’s so patient, and to love unconditionally. I do love her unconditionally. To wash my hair only every couple of days and to also eat like a lady. ... Lucy, well she teaches me to be fun, spontaneous, out of control. Hurley is so cute, like an old man in a young body.

This is always a tough question and often requires a fair degree of thinking time but…If your dog(s) had the ability to speak and answer one question and one question only, what would you ask them and what do you think that they would say?  I would just ask her, what could I do to make her have the best day ever and I think she would probably want to play fetch for a few hours, then swim in the ocean and chase the seagulls. ... Eat any people food I have and well, not have any other dogs. It would just be her. And well, just hold her and cuddle all day and night and then she’d sleep at the foot of the bed.

 


JACKIE CHAN

JACKIE CHAN is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, filmmaker, comedian, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, and stunt performer. He has two Golden Retrievers, (Little) Jones and JJ [2008].

On May 13, 2006 Jackie's 15-month-old Golden "Jones" ran off from a residence in Mong Kok when someone accidentally left a gate open. As soon as the dog was discovered missing, the authorities were called and notices were posted throughout the area. Several JC Group staff members spent hours walking through the neighborhood looking for any sign of Jones. Jackie was heartbroken since he and Jones have a very close bond. 

News from Jackie's site, however, on July 24, 2006 indicated some new Golden additions to the family: "Jackie recently received a brand new puppy from a friend after losing his beloved Golden Retriever, Jones. Jackie thought it would be a good idea for Little Jones to have a companion, so he has added Jones's brother JJ to the family."

Jackie is definitely a Golden lover and knows how we all love growing up photos. He has provided several galleries at his site, that include:

2006 Jones and JJ Growing Up
2006 Jones and JJ
2007 Bath Time
2007 Jones and JJ
2007 Jones and JJ
2008 JJ and Jonesie

 


MARY CHAPIN-CARPENTER
MARY CHAPIN-CARPENTER is an American folk and country music artist who has won five Grammy Awards [2010], and is the only artist to have won four consecutive Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance. As of 2005, she had sold more than 12 million records. She has a household filled with dogs and has had many Golden Retrievers, such as Riley, Cal and Seamus. Sadly, one of her past Goldens, Riley, lost his his battle to lymphoma in 1999.

 


MICHAEL CHIKLIS
MICHAEL CHIKLIS (actor from the TV Series, The Shield) has a Golden Retriever named Ruby. And, he talks about Ruby as being his hiking partner.

"I go hiking with my golden retriever Ruby in L.A.'s canyons six days a week.

When my daughters Autumn and Odessa come with us, they hide in the bushes and Ruby hunts them down. She finds them every time."

 

 

 

 

 
 



KELLY CLARK
KELLY CLARK is a snowboarder who became a member of the US Snowboard team in 2000, and later won a gold medal in the Winter Olympics. She has two Golden Retrievers, Peanut and Sam.
 


JOE COCKER
JOE COCKER (musician) has a Golden Retriever named Ben.

This photo on the right from April 2008 shows Pam and Joe Cocker, and Golden Ben when they had recently hosted an event for the Cocker Kids Foundation.

 

 

 
 


GUY COHELEACH
GUY COHELEACH (American wildlife artist) has a Golden Retriever named Mischa. In Roger Caras' book, The BOND: People and Their Animals, Guy indicates that "Golden Retrievers are more his kind of dog, and there have been three in a row: Lucky lived to be seventeen; then came Kir, who made it to sixteen; and now there is Mischa, who is only three." "They live pretty well with us. No wonder; we do any damn thing they want us to do. But what a dimension they add to a household," Guy says.

"He continues, "Life without a dog would be really empty. I feel good when there is a dog around. . . When I come out of my study, Mischa comes over and checks on me. I would miss that terribly. She is kind of my dog because I'm the one who throws the ball. When I go in and sit down in my chair, pop open a beer and watch a little football, she comes over and puts her chin on my stomach, I just melt. I am a sucker for that. It is so easy to get hopelessly attached." . . . "You know, I don't think of Goldens as animals. I have plenty of animals in my professional life, on safari and here in my studio. Goldens are humans, so help me, they're people. Well, almost." "When you observe the whole animal it is an ever-changing experience. That's what my Goldens have been to me, ever-changing experiences. It is like having another family member."

 Check out this celebrity's interview about his Golden love here.

 


BOBBY COLLINS
BOBBY COLLINS (comedian) has a Golden Retriever named Winston. Bobby has always had Golden Retrievers, and over the course of his life, has had five of them. A Golden even appears on the cover of one of Bobby's most successful comedy CDs. You can read about their very special relationship in the following newspaper article.
 

Bobby & Family
Winston fits right into the family
circle with Collins, his wife, Jill,
and their two daughters, Hallie
and Madison.

Dogs are Part of the Act ... and the Family for Bobby Collins  
Comedian Bobby Collins is a dog guy, there's no doubt about it. His web page is loaded with pictures of a big, fluffy Golden Retriever, and that same dog is pictured on the cover of one of his successful comedy CDs. While his sense of humor may have made him famous, Collins says it is to his dogs that he really owes the roof over his head--at least, a roof that is as nice as the one he says he lives under now.
   
"I did a 'dog bit' on television a few years ago and it made me famous," says Collins, who has opened for such entertainers as Cher, Julio Iglesias, and Frank Sinatra. A native of Manhattan, NY, Collins says he was sitting down one night eating chips and salsa when his dog at the time, Remy, looked longingly at the spicy stuff. It gave him the idea for a funny bit, which he did for the first time when he guest starred on the television show, VH-1 Stand-Up Spotlight (See box). When he was done, "The show's switchboard lit up," Collins says. "I got calls to endorse dog coats, all sorts of stuff, all on this one bit." As a result, "I owe a lot to my dog. He really got me the house I'm living in!" Collins laughs.
   
CBobby & Winstonollins, who also has numerous television, cable TV, and film credits to his name, has always had Golden Retrievers. Over the course of his life, he has had five of them. While Collins notes they do require extra care because of their longer fur and tendency toward hip problems, he loves them for their temperament. That, and because, "They smile!" While he has since lost Remy Martin, the dog that gave his career such a boost, Collins now has a two-year-old Golden, named Winston, who everyone in his family clearly dotes on.
   
"When Remy died, I felt terrible. We held out for a year and a half, and then my wife, Jill, brought home Winston." She got him from a rescue group that saved him from being put to sleep. Of Winston, Collins says, "He's the best." Collins, who always loved animals, grew up in New York, where it was hard for families like his to keep pets in apartment buildings. "I was one of those kids who, when we saw rich people with pets up on Park Avenue and places like that, would run up to them and say, 'Can we pet them? Can we take them for a walk?' and the people would be like... uh... not nice about it. But hey, that's New York!"
   
Another of the reasons why Collins loves Goldens is, "Because they're so very gentle with children." Collins has two daughters, Hallie and Madison, one of which is a special needs child. Both of his daughters love Winston "to pieces," says Collins, and the dog seems to know that Collins' littlest one, Madison, needs extra attention. "You just know he understands and protects her," Collins says. For instance, Madison's legs don't work properly and Winston often licks them. "I just well up when I see that. I look at him like, 'Hey pal, whatever you need, you get.'"
   
For that reason, Collins tries to make sure Winston gets the best of everything he needs and tries to take care of him the way he would one of his kids. As for what he looks for in a veterinarian, Collins jokes: "A good temperament!" On the serious side, Collins, who takes Winston to VCA West Los Angeles Animal Hospital in Los Angeles, California, says it is really important to him to have a veterinarian who is kind and gentle with his dog, knows how to handle him, and is obviously knowledgeable about veterinary medicine.
   
Winston, along with the rest of Collins' family, often becomes part of his act. "My material is everything that happens to me--going to the store with my wife, visits from the plumber, what my dog does." In addition to appearing on his CDs and web site, Collins also tries to include dogs in all sorts of family activities, and to make sure he has fun.
  
He takes him jogging with him whenever he can, or down to the beach to chase the seagulls, which Winston loves. The bottom line, says Collins, is "I'm a comic. That's my job. But what I really am is a family man, and my dog is part of that family."

WinstonPUTTIN' ON THE DOG: "Hey, Bah-BEE!"  
Part tough New York cabby, part adoring Golden Retriever, that is the personality Bobby Collins embues his dogs with in his comedy act. Dogs are woven throughout his routines and conversations. In a thick Brooklyn accent, for example, Collins imitates his loyal dog's imagined reaction to his every move: "You need me, Bah-Bee?" One of Collins's most famous "dog bits" is on his CD, On the Inside. In it, Collins relates how he and his dog learned--the hard way--why dogs shouldn't eat salsa! When your best buddy sits at your knee, however, and pleads, "Awww, I love dat stuff, Bah-Bee," it is hard not to give in!


Check out this celebrity's interview about his Golden love here.
 


ANDERSON COOPER
ANDERSON COOPER is an American journalist, author, and television personality. He currently works as the primary anchor of the CNN news show Anderson Cooper 360° [2010]. Anderson had a Golden Retriever named Ozzie.
 


SHERYL CROW
SHERYL CROW (singer) has a Golden Retriever.
 


TOM CRUISE
TOM CRUISE (movie actor) has two Golden Retrievers named Chloe & Luke, named for "Cool Hand Luke."
 


JAMIE LEE CURTIS
JAMIE LEE CURTIS (actress in movies Halloween and True Lies) has several Golden Retrievers.
 


BILLY RAY CYRUS
BILLY RAY CYRUS (recording artist and star of PAX TV show, Doc) has a Golden Retriever named Fluke.
 


JIM CZAJKOWSKI
JIM CZAJKOWSKI (veterinarian-turned-writer) has a Golden Retriever. Czajkowski is actually adventure-novel author James Rollins and fantasy author James Clemens. As Rollins, he has written "Subterranean," "Excavation," "Deep Fathom," "Amazonia" and "Ice Hunt." Under the Clemens byline, he's written a five-book fantasy series.
 


KRISTIN DAVIS
KRISTIN DAVIS (actress, played Charlotte on HBO's Sex and the City) had a Golden named Callie. She took Callie on walks through Central Park in New York and to many dog parks in Los Angeles. Here she is on this Fall 2002 pet magazine cover with her girl, and in the interview she noted that she had pitched overboard more than one boyfriend -- because he competed with her dog for her attention -- and lost.

At one time, Kristin had to put Callie on a diet after she put on 20 pounds at a Los Angeles doggy camp while her owner was filming in New York.

When doing interviews for her 2006 film, "The Shaggy Dog," Kristin paid homage to her beloved golden retriever, Callie, who she lost to cancer in the fall of 2005.




 

 


NEIL DIAMOND
NEIL DIAMOND (popular singer of songs "Sweet Caroline" and "I'm a Believer") has a Golden named Sol. The name is short for Neil Diamond's song "Solitary Man."

Sol was a gift from a fan who named a whole litter of dogs after Diamond songs. 

We also learned that a few years after Neil added Sol to his family he brought Golden Lady aboard.

Faera breeder, Rhona Hovan, indicates that Neal is a wonderful dad who is totally devoted to his Golden kids. Now, would we expect anything different?

 
 


PHYLLIS DILLER
PHYLLIS DILLER (comedian) has a Golden named Gemina.
 


SHANNON DOHERTY
SHANNON DOHERTY (actress in the TV series Beverly Hills 90210) has a Golden named Clancy Muldoon, as well as others.
 


TOM DOLAN
TOM DOLAN (Olympic Gold Medal winner in swimming) has a Golden named Cool.
 


PHIL DONAHUE
PHIL DONAHUE (TV talk host) has two Golden Retrievers.
 


JERRY DOUGLAS
JERRY DOUGLAS (actor in the TV series The Young and The Restless) has a Golden Retriever.
 


ELIZA DUSHKU
ELIZA DUSHKU is an American actress best known for her roles on television, such as her recurring appearances as Faith on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spinoff series Angel. She now [2010] produces and stars in the series Dollhouse as Echo.

Eliza has two furry buddies:  Golden Retriever “Max Factor” and Bernese Mountain Dog “Rigby Idaho”.

 


 

Famous model Golden Rusty


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