I think it’s safe to say that everyone remembers their first pet. My pediatrician always encouraged my parents to get me a dog growing up, since I was an only child. Instead, our first family pet — a cairn terrier rescue originally from Kansas but not named Toto – came home when I was sixteen going on seventeen and I knew that I was naive (that’s for my theater nerds out there!). Though Nicole Richie was only four when she got her first dog, she remembers the occasion because the canine was gifted to her by none other than Prince. Not only that, Prince gave her a dog that was named ‘God,’ as she recently told Jimmy Fallon on his show while promoting her new movie Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter’s Dead. Oh. My. Dog.
Nicole Richie has long been known as a lover of animals and it seems that Prince is to thank for getting her started.
During a recent appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the 42-year-old actress shared that she has a new cat in her life, Lavender Bumblebee, and discussed her affinity for all animals, including ferrets, which she copped to illegally smuggling into California from Nevada in her youth.
While talking about her array of pets and their equally intriguing monikers, the Great News star confirmed that it was the “Purple Rain” hitmaker who kicked off her now decades-long love affair with pups.
“Prince got me my first dog,” she told Jimmy, 49, as the audience let out a synchronized “aww.” In response, the SNL alum asked how she remembers something like that, to which she had a hilarious and brutally honest retort.
“I remember because the dog’s name was God. I did not name the dog, obviously,” Nicole laughed. “I was very young. I was around — I was around four but that was my first dog.”
Since that first dog many moons ago, Nicole has certainly not slowed down on taking in other animals. According to her Instagram page, she and husband Joel Madden currently have at least two German Shepherds, several chickens and a bearded dragon.
I don’t know, is it really a surprise that a man named Prince would give a little girl a dog named God? Was there a bigger message behind the gesture — some commentary on the pure, loving essence of the heavenly creature known to us as Dog? Or was it a two second decision like, “that’d be a funny name to give a pet!” Whatever his real intention was, I’m grateful to Prince (may he rest in purple) that he offered no explanation for the moniker. I love random acts of absurdity. And I see Nicole’s pet dog and raise her one human child: many moons ago I worked at a baby magazine where I was often on set for photo shoots. The babies had actual model sheets with notes like “can sit up” and “can roll over.” One such baby model we worked with was named, I kid you not, Goddess! And let me tell you, that baby could pose!
Photos credit: Jennifer Bloc/Future Image/Cover Images, Abaca Press/INSTARimages, Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Avalon, Getty