Celebrities Who Made the Difficult Decision to Rehome Their Pets

Giving your pet up may not be an easy choice, but several celebrities including Rachel Leviss and Jen Affleck have stood by their decision. The Vanderpump Rules alum and her dog Graham Cracker were introduced to viewers during Leviss’ relationship with James Kennedy. Following Leviss and Kennedy's split in 2021, Leviss initially remained Graham Cracker's primary guardian because the pup was a gift from her parents. Leviss' ownership was called into question after she had an affair with costar Tom Sandoval, which ended his nearly decade-long romance with Ariana Madix. During spring 2023, Leviss checked herself into a mental health facility and some fans assumed that her dog was in her family's possession for the 90-day stay. In July 2023, Kennedy revealed that he was looking after Graham Cracker, who has since been renamed Hippie, after the dog was surrendered to trainers following an incident with Leviss’ mother. The trailer contacted Lisa Vanderpump who rehomed the pet with Kennedy. Andy Cohen faced a vastly different situation with his dog Wacha, who he adopted from a kill shelter in West Virginia in 2013. Seven years later, Cohen announced that out of an abundance of caution for his son, Benjamin, Wacha found a new home. “Numerous professionals led me to the conclusion that my home is simply not a good place for him,” Cohen wrote via Instagram in May 2020. “Keeping him here could be catastrophic for Ben and worse for Wacha.” Cohen, who later welcomed daughter Lucy, has publicly documented his reunion with Wacha over the years. Keep scrolling for more celebrities who candidly discussed what led to them rehoming a pet:

Zac was asked about his pet in a TikTok comment in July 2025, which read, "I remember that u have a dog except ur beautiful kids. Is he OK?" 

In response, Zac wrote back, "We ended up giving him to a close family member who can take much better care of him and give him the love he needs!"

“Most of you know I had [Shirley] for many, many, many years,” Cuoco said in an Instagram video in November 2024. “All of a sudden, you kind of stopped seeing her, and I started to get a lot of questions as to where she was, because it’s very unlike me to just stop posting about a dog that I’ve had since she was 6 weeks old.”

Cuoco got emotional as she discussed how Shirley's fights with her fiancé Tom Pelphrey’s dog led to the rehoming. 

“Long story short, she’s a very special dog to me, as you all know. And when the love of my life came into my life, Tom, who is also a mega dog lover, moved across the country with his beautiful German Shepherd, Blue," she continued. "A couple years ago, unfortunately, Blue and Shirley started getting into some mega fights.”

Cuoco continued: “I loved her so much, but I was really scared. I didn’t want something really bad to happen or possibly a person accidentally be there and get hurt. [My pet handler and his wife] have loved her so so much, and it was an excruciating decision.”

Shirley subsequently died following a battle with "a very aggressive bone cancer" that "came on very quickly."

“She was almost 14 years old, which is an unbelievable life for a dog,” Cuoco said through tears. “And I just wanted to share her story and what we had to do.”

“We actually did adopt a dog already, but then it ate my passport and so I took her back to the home,” Allen said in an August 2024 episode of her “Miss Me?” podcast about how she rehomed her family’s pet dog. “She ate all three of our passports and they had our visas in. I cannot tell you how much money it cost me to get everything replaced, because it was in COVID and so it was just an absolute logistical nightmare.”

She added: “Because the father of my children lives in England, I couldn’t take them back to see their dad for like four months, five months, because this f–king dog had eaten the passports. I just couldn’t look at [the dog anymore]. I was like, ‘You’ve ruined my life.’”

After Graham Cracker bit Leviss' mother, the dog was enrolled in behavioral classes. 

"My dog Graham bit my mom’s hand down to the bone, and it was so bad she couldn’t even get stitches. I had the decision to either leave the Meadows and go back and take care of my dog, or try to get him rehomed and finish out my treatment, because I knew I had more to work on," she said on Bethenny Frankel's iHeartRadio’s “ReWives” podcast in August 2023. "So I chose myself and we researched a breed-specific dog rescue, and they took him in besides his biting behavior. Bottom line, he couldn’t get rehomed.” 

Leviss continued: “It was supposed to be a confidential, anonymous [decision] because it’s nobody else’s business,” she added at the time. “I thought it was a joke at first [when I saw Graham with James]. My heart dropped to my stomach. There was a picture of James walking Graham, and I was like, ‘No.’ Immediately, my mom called the foster who was working with Graham, and she said, ‘Oh, it’s so lovely. Lisa adopted him.’ So now the narrative is, I dumped my dog at a shelter and he was hours away from being euthanized and that’s not true.”

Kennedy has since offered glimpses at how the dog has been adjusting after their reunion.

In June 2023, Smith’s dog bit her and Morgan Wallen’s son in the face, causing the child to need stitches. Smith, who split from the country singer in 2019 after two years together, decided to rehome the dog.

“I can’t be a mom that keeps a dog in the house when my child is also traumatized, probably, from that,” the internet personality said via her Instagram Story at the time. “I can’t be a good dog mom to him keeping a muzzle on him or a good mom in general having a kid just really scared of him in the home.”

The Bachelor couple parted ways with their puppy Gus in April 2023 for the safety of their family. 

“Y’all know how much I loved that dog and he was such a great dog. Great with the kids, well-trained and he was so full of love. However, he showed a couple instances of resource guarding in the past when he snapped at/bit Mia,” Lowe wrote via his Instagram Stories in April 2023 while referring to his youngest child's history with the Bullmastiff. “We did everything in our power to keep it from happening again but one night several weeks ago, [our son] Samuel bent down to pet Gus, and Gus bit him on the side of the head.”

Lowe, who shares sons Samuel and Isaiah and daughter Mia with Giudici, said the choice came after their eldest was bitten. 

“The result was a trip to the E.R. and a staple in the head,” he added. “So, as much as I love that dog, I have to put my kids first. But [Gus is] in a great home and we’ll get to still see him occasionally. [By the way], I died a little on the inside.”

The former Bachelor noted that Gus found a “great” new home with his and Giudici’s dog trainer, writing, “He gets to go to work everyday and be around other dogs. She texted me the other day and said this [one] pug hates all dogs except for Gus. Must be the close resemblance. [It will be a while before we adopt another dog because] It’d feel like I was cheating on Gus if we got one anytime soon.”

Nearly two years later, Lowe hinted in March 2025 that he had rehome his new dog after being attacked twice. 

“Going through a dog attack is pretty darn traumatic,” Lowe said. “Having to relive it less than 12 hours later, seeing that dog running straight at you is a feeling that I don't think I ever want to experience again. ... We’ve been really transparent over the years on social media. Like I said, you guys I’m sure would ask questions about Moose, or where is Moose or why are your arms disfigured? So I just wanted to let you guys know what had happened. But overall, I'm super thankful it was me.” 

In the aftermath of Wilde and Jason Sudeikis’ November 2020 split, the duo's former nanny accused the actress of giving up her puppy Gordy to date Harry Styles. The animal shelter that Wilde adopted Gordy from subsequently stepped in to clear the air.

“Gordy was adopted to @oliviawilde at 2 months old and after giving him much love and training and travel adventures, she realized that Gordy didn’t love the travel life and wasn’t happy around toddlers,” the Los Angeles animal rescue Mae Day Rescue captioned in an October 2022 Instagram post. “Gordy had formed a very strong bond with his dog walker and in Gordy’s best interest and after much thought and consideration, he was rehomed to his Brooklyn dog walker.” 

The social media statement concluded: “We pride ourselves on finding that perfect forever home for our Maeday animals and every once in a while the animal is just happier in a different environment and that’s OK. Olivia is a huge animal rescue advocate and rehomed Gordy out of compassion and love for him.”

Wilde, who shares son Otis and daughter Daisy with Sudeikis, didn't address the accusations.

In December 2021, Biden and first lady Dr. Jill Biden explained why their dog Major was going to be rehomed from the White House.

“After consulting with dog trainers, animal behaviorists and veterinarians, the first family has decided to follow the experts’ collective recommendation that it would be safest for Major to live in a quieter environment with family friends,” Michael LaRosa, the first lady's spokesperson, said in a statement. “This is not in reaction to any new or specific incident, but rather a decision reached after several months of deliberation as a family and discussions with experts."

Following his 2018 rescue, Major had bitten a Secret Service agent and at least one other person. The German shepherd was then removed from the White House and brought back to the Biden's family home in Delaware. The president subsequently brought a cat into the White House to join his and Jill's puppy, Commander. 

When Commander had similar issues, the couple’s second dog was sent to live with friends as a precaution. 

In response to fan questions about why her dog Biggie was no longer featured on her social media, Hall confirmed in October 2021 that she rehomed the pet. 

"Due to behavioral issues, I made the hard decision to have Biggie re-homed in the best interest of my children," she wrote via Instagram. 

The HGTV personality shares daughter Taylor and son Brayden with ex-husband Tarek El Moussa. She also welcomed son Hudson with ex-husband Ant Anstead before exchanging vows with Joshua Hall in 2022.

In May 2020, Cohen broke down why he had to place dog Wacha in another home, writing via Instagram, "When he came into my life, my world changed. Over the nearly seven years that I’ve been blessed to have Wacha in my life, we have worked to address some occasional random signs of aggression."

Cohen explained that "no effort was spared" to adjust to Wacha's behavior, but an incident with son Ben led to the rehoming. 

"Keeping him here could be catastrophic for Ben and worse for Wacha," he concluded. "When I think of him — let’s be honest, when don’t I think of him — it’s with the clarity that we were meant to come into each other’s lives exactly when we did, and that he’s happy, which gives me peace of mind. We did rescue each other." he wrote.

Due to concerns for her and husband Doug Hehner's then-toddler, Henley Grace, Otis revealed in 2019 that their dog Foxy found a new “perfect" new home.

“She has been with me through some of the hardest times in life,” the reality star wrote via Instagram. “She has been the sweetest, most loving pup. She loves to play & snuggle ... unless there’s food around. When there’s human food around she kinda stares you down like she’s about to put her fighting gloves on & go to war to get that food at whatever cost. Her whole disposition changes.”

Otis, who later welcomed son Hendrix said her love for her daughter helped her remain firm. 

“My biggest fear as Gracie gets older is that one day I’ll turn my back while Gracie has food in her hand and Foxy goes to get the food and bites her...she has bit Doug in the past and she growls and snarls at me occasionally," she continued. "I would never forgive myself if an accident were to happen with Gracie and Foxy. And it’d be 100% my fault bc I’ve known Foxy has had this issue. Thankfully, I’ve found the PERFECT home for Foxy.” 

The post concluded: “Meet Lovely Betty. She just had a hip replacement and has been searching for a companion. She doesn’t have a lot of family nearby and she typically spends the day inside alone watching tv bc she has trouble walking. Betty fell in love with foxy just as fast I did. And when I had to leave, I looked back to see Foxy smiling on her lap. And the best part (for me) is that Betty has welcomed me and my fam to go over and see foxy whenever we’d like.”