The only thing the Real Housewives love more than a good handbag is an adorable critter.
The Housewives’ pets are easily amongst the most pampered around. They’re also among the most popular: their TV appearances have turned them into furry celebrities, complete with legions of fans and followers on social media.
In honour of International Pet Day, here are the five most notable pets in the Housewives universe:
Mrs. Wrinkles
Dina Manzo was the original crazy Housewives pet lady – and we say that in a loving way! Dina has turned her home into an abode for domesticated animals.
Her most famous pet without a doubt is Mrs. Wrinkles, an adorable hairless cat who’s constantly sporting a scowl.
Then there’s Gracie, a two-legged puppy mill survivor with a little doggie wheelchair. The chihuahua is so famous that she has her very own People magazine profile.
A post shared by dinamanzo (@dinamanzo) on Jul 4, 2016 at 6:12pm PDT
Dina has another bald cat named Botox, plus a cat named Ladybug, a dog named G, and a bird with no beak. At this point, she’s low key a zookeeper.
Giggy
Giggy is definitely the most famous Housewives pet of all. His fame even transcends Housewives – the Pomeranian is right up there with Paris Hilton’s Tinkerbell as one of the most famous celeb pets ever. Giggy (short for Gigolo) has been on the cover of magazines, lists celebs like Lady Gaga and, yes, Paris Hilton as his pals, and eats at hot spots like The Ivy. But he’s just one of an ever growing herd of pets in the Vanderpump household. We’ve lost count of how many pets Lisa has now, but even a conservative list includes – here we go! – two miniature horses, Diamonds and Rosé, eight swans (the best-known of which, Hanky and Panky, were hand reared by Lisa), two golden retrievers, Rumpy and Avery (a.k.a. Pumpy), Giggy’s biological father, Daddio (a former show dog!), another Pomeranian named Pikachu, a Maltese named Lollipop, and six unnamed turtles. As we’ve seen on RHOBH and Vanderpump Rules, Lisa’s a vocal animal activist who’s trying to put an end the Yulin Dog Festival. She even spoke to congress about it! She also has a line of pet accessories called Vanderpump Pets and a new dog rescue centre a skip away from PUMP and SUR in West Hollywood, Vanderpump Dogs. Your heart will melt when you see the cuties she’s trying to find homes for:
A post shared by Lisa Vanderpump (@lisavanderpump) on Mar 14, 2017 at 6:12pm PDT
Baby
Baby is a dog on the come up. Since Carole introduced us to her miniature Goldendoodle, Baby’s become quite the star. Her canine Modern Family of co-parents recently landed Baby in The New York Times, which documented how Carole shares Baby with two other people, her pals Tripp Swanhaus and RJ King (the model brother of RHOC’s Meghan King Edmonds). And before that, Baby was a dogsmaid in 2016’s pet wedding of the year, between the dogs of Insta-star The Fat Jew and socialite Amanda Hearst. Here’s Baby in a casual family portrait:
A post shared by Carole Radziwill (@caroleradziwill) on Feb 23, 2017 at 10:51am PST
Lola
Though she’s a relative newcomer to the Housewives game, Lola has the kind of lifestyle that puts us all to shame. The Real Housewives of Toronto‘s Roxy Earle keeps her English Doodle pampered to the nth degree. Lola’s diet is carefully looked after by her own personal chef, and the staff of Toronto’s luxurious Hazelton Hotel even know her by name.
Ginger
A post shared by jill zarin (@mrsjillzarin) on May 20, 2016 at 11:39am PDT
Like Mrs. Wrinkles, Ginger is an OG Housewives pet. We met Ginger way back in 2008, during the first season of RHONY. Ginger’s a regular on the pet charity circuit (a real thing!) in New York. Jill Zarin’s dog even something of a mini feud with Giggy – Jill accused Housewives head honcho Andy Cohen of giving Giggy too much attention and ignoring Ginger.
Wacha
A post shared by Wacha Cohen (@therealwacha) on Feb 14, 2017 at 5:15pm PST
Speaking of Andy, he’s now got a celeb dog of his own. While Wacha’s not exactly a Housewives dog, his dad is the head of all things Housewives, which kind of makes him head dog, no?
Wacha’s a major character in Andy’s past two books and has over 200,000 followers on Instagram. Plus, he’s a real cutie.
Watch the throne, Giggy.
