Petside Profile: Kyra Sedgwick Discusses "Change a Pet's Life Day"

Petside.com sat down with Kyra Sedgwick, star of the TV drama "The Closer" and Golden Globe winner, to learn more about her love for animals and her involvement in Change a Pet's Life Day, coming up on January 24th. Petside.com sat down with Kyra Sedgwick, star of the TV drama The Closer and Golden Globe winner, to learn more about her love for animals and her involvement in Change a Pet's Life Day, coming up on January 24th.

Q: Tell us about your pets!

Kyra: I got my first adopted pet when I was 18 from a shelter in Long Island. He was with me for 18 years. And then when I met Kev (husband, actor Kevin Bacon), he had an adopted dog named Jane, who also lived to be 18.

Our most recent shelter animals are Paulie and Laura. Paulie's a dog and we got him about 11 years ago, and Laura, a cat who's also a rescue. So I have a long history with shelter animals and we're big believers in adoption.

Q: What breeds are your pets?

Kyra: We call Paulie the "Labrador deceiver" because he's a Lab and something else. And actually Laura is a pure-bred Russian Blue who we got from a shelter. So that just goes to show that you can get all kinds of pets at shelters.

Q: What's your favorite thing to do with your pets?

Kyra: Paulie is a big hiker and he's great on a trail and he's a great retriever as well. So that's really, really fun!

Q: How are the pet-related chores divvied up in your house? Do your husband and kids help out?

Kyra: Paulie gets walked four times a day. I do the morning walk, and then there's another walk that gets done by whom ever is there. Then the 4 o'clock walk is by the dog walker and the nighttime walk is either Kevin or I or one of the kids.

Q: How did your love for animals begin?

Kyra: I grew up with dogs and I actually can't remember not having one. I just think it's a life altering experience. It's an unconditional love, a wonderful commitment that you can make, and you will reap what you sow for sure.

Q: What is the goal of Change a Pet's Life Day?

Kyra: Change a Pet's Life Day is January 24th, and Hill's Science Diet is offering free pet adoptions at shelters across the country. The goal is to get people that are even mildly interested in adopting a dog or a cat into the shelters to take a look. And if they want to adopt on that day, they can actually have the cost of the adoption paid for.

So my goal would be that we heard from all these shelters and they said there are lines around the block and it was amazing!

Q: How did you become involved in this initiative?

Kyra: They asked me and it was definitely a cause that I believe in. There are so many animals that need homes and so many people that need animals.

Q: Why is adoption so important right now?

Kyra: There are over 8 million cats and dogs in shelters every year who need places to live, but it's even more important now because of the economic situation. I think people are feeling like they have to give up their dog or cat. And also there are very few no-kill shelters in the country. And that's really sad.

It would be great if three times as many people as normal showed up on Change a Pet's Life Day to adopt a pet. And it's really hard to go to a shelter and not get an animal because they are so incredibly adorable.

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Change a Pet's Life Day is Saturday, January 24th. To find out how to participate visit www.feedingisbelieving.com.