Celebrities making demands is a tale as old as tinseltown. Historically they’ve been known to ask for accommodations ranging from the eccentric to the expensive. But to date I haven’t ever heard of a demand of this cuddly variety: Rob DelliBovi, celebrity travel agent and concierge, recently spilled some (blind) tea to Joe Pardavila on the Good Listen podcast. He described a client of his who requires the companionship of a “medium-sized dog” companion for their hotel room when they’re on the road. Call it the canine clause in a tour rider.
A shaggy blind item was dropped on Joe Pardavila’s podcast, “Good Listen,” this week by travel agent and concierge to the stars Rob DelliBovi — who revealed one of the odder celebrity requests he’s gotten has been to fetch a “medium-sized” dog to keep a star company at each of the celeb’s travel destinations.
“We have somebody who, companionship-wise, likes to request a medium-sized dog in all hotel rooms,” DelliBovi said.
“So, when this particular traveler gets to town, they need a dog, and they don’t want to own a dog. They don’t want to travel with a dog… which is, as we know, [a] pain in the neck. They want the companionship of a dog.”
He continued, “So, there was a time when we were sourcing a dog in every city of medium size too, which is what they wanted. So, nothing too big, nothing too small.”
The temporary four-legged best friend would be found at either a local shelter, or by hotel staff who were asked to part with their personal pet for the night.
“We started honestly with the staff at the hotel,” DelliBovi, who runs RDB Hospitality explained. “We’re like, ‘Does anyone have a dog they want to loan this talent for one or two nights?’”
There was one hint in the interview that the alleged pup-loving star is a musician.
“On music tours, they don’t typically stay very long,” DelliBovi said, further explaining the prospective pooch was sometimes needed for quick stops.
“It was just some cities they were only in for three or four hours,” he said. “We were like, ‘Do you need the dogs for three or four hours?’ We have to be super creative.”
If the star was in Minneapolis, say, DelliBovi would call a friend and ask, “Do you know a guy with a medium-sized dog who was willing to give it to someone they don’t know for 24 hours for $500 or something?”
The fur-loving famous person also had to sign paperwork to take in a strange canine.
“We had to create paperwork that the talent had to sign, signing their life away in terms of, liability, right?” he said. “If the dog bites you, kills you, or something like that… it’s not the owner’s fault.”
Other weird asks from stars included an in-room colonic, and switching hotel rooms due to “bad energy.”
I understand the impulse here. I love having My Girl with me, I wouldn’t have it any other way. And it’s sweet that DelliBovi reaches out to shelters, making it like a doggie Queen for a Day. Only it’s a shame the pooches can’t then brag about the experience. How quickly would a pup get adopted if the shelter could boast “Fido was so-and-so’s companion on tour by special request!” At a certain point, though, would it not just be easier to get your own dog? Mr. or Mrs. Star-Celebrity-Artist Ma’am Sir, I think the time has come for you to take the leap and adopt your own dog! You won’t regret it! I mean, that’s a lie. They’ll invariably drive you to exasperation at some/many points. Having a dog is committing to being responsible for a permanent toddler. But then My Girl will give me just the right look and her tail starts wagging… yeah, my heart swells and I’m a goner.
Also, props to the Page Six writers for dropping that “in-room colonic” item as the last line with no further details. I like an ending with a random, unexplained jolt.
photos credit: Cottonbro Studio, Samson Katt, Nataliya Vaitkevich, Elina Volkova, Tugba Kobal Yilmaz and Pixabay on Pexels
I hope that he is just using the word “loan” and that they pay the dog owners to use their dogs and, hopefully, donate to the shelters.
Hmmm 🤔 sofia vergara
Kinda traumatic for the dog to feel abandoned for a night or two with a complete stranger. Owners know their pets
So curious what makes you think it’s Sofia!
Eh, if the owners know their pets they would know whether to say yes or no. I used to house sit and most of the dogs were more than happy to chill with me for a few days without visibly missing their families.
Wasnt she the one who wanted a dog when she was with joeM and the dog ended up hating her and when they split, joe kept the dog. Sofia seems to love dogs, was filming her netflix series so she might not be at home a lot, seems to be living her new best life, and it seems to me, i dont know her personally, that she is diva enough to ask for something extra like this.
I hope they are not using shelter dogs and hoping that the dogs will understand it’s a “privilege“ to stay with a celebrity.
Even worse if they borrow a dog from a shelter and then return them. Gross all around.
this. breaks my heart
I am very skeptical that they are bringing in dogs from a shelter. Almost all dogs find shelters very traumatizing and they are not going to be great companions for a short visit with someone. They either sleep nonstop when they get to a new place or find a corner/closet/bathroom to hide in. I think the guy wants to sound like he’s a good guy with the shelter mention but I just don’t see it happening, and at least the shelter we adopted from would never, ever allow that to happen.
Though many shelters have what amount to weekend foster programs for dogs. It gets the dogs out of the shelter environment for a couple of days, gets them exposed to the potential adopters and helps create testimonials about the dog’s behavior that makes them more adoptable. Dogs that get taken out like this increase their likelihood of adoption significantly.
It says this person doesn’t want to own a dog and Sofia has. She also seems to be more a small dog person with the ones she has had.
I worry about how the dog will feel too! Especially if they have a family already, taking the dog away from their people and trapping it in a room with a stranger might be unsettling for them. It’s a very selfish request.
Am I alone in not liking this?
It’s an odd request, and it’s giving me grim thoughts about why they want a dog, and animals shouldn’t be for loan anyways.
You are most decidedly not alone.
Ick all around.
Agreed. Very weird vibe.
You’re not alone. Pets aren’t objects! Does this person not want to deal with the messiness of having a pet but only the companionship?? It’s disgusting!
It’s a little like having an escort, problem is that pets cannot choose.
As a cat owner, I wouldn’t loan any of my cats, they’d be terrified… and I guess it’s the sane for dogs.
I want to reiterate what you said……….”Pets are NOT objects!”
Animals should not be treated like accessories. period.
Replace dog with human and you would think this person is either renting a best friend for the day or we can jump right to it sounds like an escort service.
If you don’t want to own a dog, but love dogs, go to an animal shelter and walk them…Take pictures with them, donate, and get them adopted.
This exactly! Many shelters need people to walk or exercise their dogs and it can be great volunteer opportunity. I can understand a musician who tours may not want to travel with their dog as it can be stressful for animals to be in a new hotel every night, but coercing hotel staff into “loaning” you their dog? That sends up some terrible red flags about this person.
I wouldn’t allow anyone to take care of my animals unless they are thoroughly vetted, no matter how famous or how much money they might have.
I hate it! since the celebrity isnt named, they arent being vetted. who knows how responsible or irresponsible they are. (((those dogs))). we are assuming they really are good to the dogs but we dont really know why they want them or what they do with them.
Maybe the people who own/are responsible for the dogs get more info and assurances. Let’s hope so.
You are not alone. This is wrong.
To me the exception might be a highly-trained companion dog, like one that does rounds at a hospital. Those dogs would might be ok with providing assistance for a short-term stay??
It’s definitely odd. This person obviously has a lot of money, couldn’t they get their own dog and pay someone on the tour to do all the work? It’s super weird asking hotel staff to loan out their dog.
As a dog mom twice over and general, all around dog lover, I gotta say I’m not thrilled with the language my guy is using to describe this whole thing: “loaning it” and “giving it” to the celebrity.
He is probably just being a dingbat in his word choice but it still makes me very uncomfortable.
It’s definitely highlighting the fact he thinks pets are objects.
I don’t understand what kind of companionship this would be. Apart from the transportation issue, dogs aren’t any less inconvenient if you borrow them. So, the musician is in town for a few hours or a day – there’s still work to be done. Performance, rehearsal, sound checks, maybe meet and greet. So, what are they going to do with the dog, bring it on stage? And who is going to feed the dog and take it out for a poop, etc. At least the owner gets some money, but this doesn’t sound like a good deal for the dog.
That’s hilarious!!
It’s really not. It’s actually cruel and weird.
While this comes off as a bit icky, I’d much rather this than the celebrity having their own dog that they can’t take care of. Most medium sized dogs are not going to be happy living on a tour bus.
The dog is probably taken to the hotel room by their owner, given food/water/treats/toys and is waiting to hang out with the celebrity when they get off stage. They probably play or watch tv together or go for a walk, then go to bed. Would it be better for them to go hangout at an animal shelter? Sure. Is that practical? Not necessarily – shelters have limited hours (I doubt any are going to be open after a concert, and as others have said, the celeb has things to do before the show) and if they go to a shelter it becomes a public event, not a way to relax/unwind.
Just as a fun aside connected to that last line- on Rachel Dratch’s WooWoo podcast, Lea Delaria said she has a line in her rider that says she won’t stay in hotels or accomodations that are “notoriously haunted”. It was a pretty good listen if anyone cares!
I have a Shiba which is the dog pictured here and it would be hilarious to me if they wound up with him because he is so conditional in his affection! It’s all on his terms!! But also we’ve been together for 13 years and there is ONE person I 100% trust to be alone with him because his personality is so particular. When his “governess” isn’t watching him I’m filled with anxiety just because I know how he is with people he knows he’s smarter than (including myself) & a master escape artist. There’s no way I’d leave him with a stranger for a couple hours. He’d be out roaming the streets!!
This is fk’ing weird and wrong. Dogs aren’t an accessory that you can “rent”. It actually makes me angry thinking about a poor dog being “loaned out” for god knows what, then returned. This should never be allowed.
THANK YOU.
I so agree, there is something just not right about this request. I wouldn’t loan my dog out for any reason, or any amount of money. This is nuts.
I just imagined getting a call with that request- hard damn no. I’m not giving my dog to a stranger for any amount of money. Big ole side eye to that.
I would never loan out my dog. The celeb would fall in love with her and want to keep her!
A dog is not a toy! I find it really irritating that this person doesn’t seem to care where the dog comes from and where it goes afterwards!
Rich people are so revoltingly spoiled.
I’m going to give them the benefit of the doubt. Pets as therapy is a thing and this person may need companionship of a dog dues to stress and anxiety, but may not be able to keep a dog full time. You can actually have your dog trained as a volunteer where they can spend some time with others who may be in need of companionship. Usually it’s for the elderly.
Did you read the article? Nothing from the article sounds like they are going to an organization to get a temporary, well trained, companionship dog for medical reasons nor that they ate elderly.
I definitely think they should be, but I can also imaging there’s a lot of criteria to meet to be eligible for those services, not to mention limited resources that are available. Plus this person is traveling from city to city. It might just be a case that this person feels a sad and lonely when they are on tour and a dog helps them feel better and keeps them calm.
No one would have cared if this person took their own dog for companionship. Which I think is worse, cos they would have been stuck in a cage on a plane for hours at a time every few days.
If the article talked about a person who demands hotel accommodation for their highly-trained animal companion that travels with them everywhere, that would be another thing entirely.
But it’s not – the article clearly mentions that there are staff in charge of “procuring” dogs to spend time with the celebrity for one night or two. And they mention hotel staff or complete strangers lending their own pets for a fee. Not every “medium-sized dog” would tolerate being in a hotel room with a stranger!
I’m sure that the celebrity does enjoy spending time with dogs and that it helps them to release stress or relax. I don’t think anyone here is disputing that dogs can be beneficial for humans. There’s a reason why, for example, therapy dogs visit university campuses during exams or hospices where people need comfort! But those dogs are carefully selected and trained for that job, they don’t just put out an open call and hope for the best. Not to mention that it could be stressful for the dog – my heart breaks thinking about a shelter dog being spoiled for a day and then going right back to the shelter.
Why are we assuming that this person is treating these dogs badly?
this is giving me bestiality energy, everyone is the asshole here
Super-selfish. Dogs aren’t a bowl of red M&Ms on your list of backstage requests FFS, they’re living beings.
So gross to treat them like they’re props that exist solely to keep you company for the few hours that you’re lonely in your hotel. And of course this person would want the enjoyment without any of the responsibility or commitment. Classic f*cking psychopath.
Or maybe this person has anxiety issues and the dog is for therapy reasons, and they don’t want to buy a dog and leave it at home or drag them on plane with them from country to country.
Maybe it’s not that sinister, dogs are great companions and good for mental health.
Nah.
There’s a level of intense bonding and training that exists between a therapy dog and their owner—it takes time and patience to develop that relationship. Nobody who actually has a therapy pet would ever dream about rotating in a new one every day because that’s not how therapy pets work.
I know someone who trained seeing eye dogs. Therapy animals are well-trained for a purpose/ job. A PTSD-trained therapy dog costs €25,000. You need to learn to interact with your therapy dog as well. That’s definitely not what’s happening here.
I’ve visited cat cafes with my kids a couple of times away from home, but I would never think to subject my cats to a stranger. Or my kids! This is giving off a really weird vibe. Especially since dogs have their own personalities and aren’t interchangeable. Their own needs, too.
I think the article is giving weird vibes because blind items are written in a way to sound as worse as it possibly can, otherwise it not much of a blind item.
This person could have easily bought their own dog and subjected them to endless long haul flights, but chose not to. I’m hope that is because they care enough about dogs not to subject one to traveling that much.
Being on tour is stressful and lonely, maybe this person finds that a dog really helps their mental health.
Have we really become that cynical we’re our first thought is that this person is f*cking the dog?
The celebrity sounds like someone who travels a lot — maybe tours? A comic or musician. Possibly unpopular opinion — I would hire out my one of my dogs for one night (and they are my babies!) for $500 and then donate the $$ to a local shelter.
There is no way in h3ll that I would rent out my dog to a stranger.
If someone is wealthy enough to have a rider with a list of demands, they have enough resources to arrange travelling with a dog. Or get a robot dog.
I fall in love with every dog I meet! I would never want to give them back!
If I were a celebrity with tons of money, I’d have a whole passel of dogs. But I wouldn’t treat them like disposable objects, that’s for sure.
Kevin Costner, younging and a dog runs deep. Little doggie and a cow poke.
Again Costner total disregard for others why not pups. He’s in a band they tour and play the GRAND STAGE IN Minneapolis state fair lol so country young gun and his dog lol it’s him 4sure
Why does this seem like it has Mimi (Mariah Carey) written all over it?
People above mentioned that this would be therapy or to use a therapy dog. I think it’s important to know that during therapy dog training, the handler (person) is taught that a therapy dog only provides comfort if the dog wants to and as soon as the dog shows signs of stress it should be removed. So no true therapy dog handler would ever drop off their dog like this.
This sounds more like an emotional support animal situation. But you still need a bond with the animal for it to work. It’s just odd.
Without a doubt: Mariah Carey. She, who demanded to be surrounded by DRUGGED puppies years ago. In that case, it was not a rumour or blind item, but verified.
I guess I think this is a little odd but not I don’t get all the hate about it. I bet there is more to the story. But even if not, many animals shut down and their health (mentally and physically) are negatively impacted in a shelter environment. Shelters beg for people to take dogs out of the shelter for an extended time or even a few hours. Any time out of a shelter is a good thing.