Kenneth Glad
The bond between people and pets can carry through ordinary routines and difficult years. It often becomes part of how families remember love, care and loss.
In a new People interview, the 72-year-old Oprah Winfrey says dogs have shaped her life, offering comfort during painful years and teaching her how to face grief and aging.
The television host and producer spoke to People while narrating “Life is Better With Dogs,” a short-form series on The Oprah Podcast’s YouTube channel in collaboration with The Farmer’s Dog.
The series begins with Chad Brown, a U.S. Navy veteran who served in Somalia and later dealt with PTSD. People reported that his Labrador service dog, Axe, helped him recover and inspired his nonprofit, Love is King.
The first dog mattered most
The interview led Winfrey back to Simone, a black cockapoo she bought as a child while living with her mother in Minneapolis. She told People that she saved lunch money to bring him home.
Keeping Simone required lies, Winfrey admitted. But she described him as vital during a time when she felt alone:
“I was going through a lot at that time and he was my one companion. He was my refuge. Dogs have always been the friend in my life when everything else around me was falling apart. It was the dog that allowed me to hold on.”
The household kept growing
As an adult, Winfrey continued building a life with dogs. People reported that she has had 21 over the decades.
Oprah Daily has previously identified several of them, including Sophie, Solomon, Gracie, Luke, Sadie, Sunny and Lauren.
The outlet reported that Sadie was adopted from PAWS Chicago in 2009 after Winfrey met her during a magazine shoot.
“Right before we shot the photo…she had licked my ear and whispered, ‘Please take me with you,’” Winfrey wrote in O, The Oprah Magazine, according to Oprah Daily.
Winfrey also wrote, “My heart spoke to Miss Sadie, the runt of the litter. I love making the underdog a winner.”
Grief changed the meaning
Both accounts have linked Winfrey’s dogs to grief, reflection and change.
Oprah Daily reported that Sophie’s death in 2008 helped Winfrey understand the depth of her attachment. The site also reported that Gracie, a golden retriever, died in 2007 after choking on a plastic ball.
Luke, another golden retriever, became one of Winfrey’s closest animal companions. She told People his death in 2018 deepened her spirituality.
“He had the biggest soul ever. I’m telling you, when I transition, Luke will be there to greet me,” she said.
Sadie and aging
Winfrey told People that Sadie, now 17, has helped her think differently about getting older.
The cocker spaniel has kidney problems, needs fluid injections and sleeps in a diaper, according to People. Still, Winfrey said Sadie continues to meet the day with spirit:
“She still comes out wagging her tail. So I’ve learned to accept the aging process, too. I’ve learned even when you don’t move as well and things go wrong, life is still good.”
Sources: People, Oprah Daily
