Celebrity Dog Adoptions with Melissa Bacelar | The Long Leash #21

James: [00:00:00] Jennifer Aniston, John Legend, and Ariana Grande. They're just some of the big names that Melissa Bacelar has had the honor of helping in their search for a furry best friend. Today, we'll give you the scoop on how celebrity pet adoptions work. Welcome to the Long Leash. I'm James Jacobson. Based in Hollywood, Melissa Bacelar, AKA the celebrity pet matchmaker has focused her career on rescuing, rehabilitating, and finding forever homes for dogs experiencing homelessness. In fact, since March 2020, Wagmor pets has rescued and rehomed more than two and a half thousand dogs. Some of them have ended up with A-List animal lovers. Melissa's client roster may be prestigious, but at the center of all of it are people like you and me just looking for a pooch to love and to care for and to become a part of the family. Of course being a celebrity and adopting a dog isn't as straightforward as it sounds, and in this conversation, Melissa, not only shares some of the behind the scenes stories of bringing these big stars together with the rescue dogs, but also how a chance meeting with Ellen DeGeneres changed Wagmor pets forever. Melissa Bacelar thanks for being with us today. 

Melissa: [00:01:25] Thank you for having me. 

James: [00:01:27] So you are in the heart of La La Land, right? 

Melissa: [00:01:32] That is true, I am. 

James: [00:01:34] Okay. And as someone who spends a lot of time helping rescue dogs and connect them with their forever homes, you have the unique advantage of being able to place some of those dogs in celebrity homes.

Melissa: [00:01:53] Yeah, absolutely. And it's because of where we're located. It's because, you know, I've lived in Studio City for 18 years now. My kids go to school with celebrity's kids. Um, our first dog hotel that we opened is literally three feet away from CBS Radford, where Big Bang Theory and CSI and all these, the Talk like all these big shows are filmed every day. Um, so, you know, celebrities just are in and out of our location, constantly. 

James: [00:02:26] So who were some of the celebrities who you've helped home dogs with? 

Melissa: [00:02:32] Gosh, 

James: [00:02:33] Name dropping here. 

Melissa: [00:02:34] I'm going to totally namedrop. Um, Ariana Grande, Sarah Hyland, Jennifer Aniston. Chrissy Tiegen, and John Legend. Chris Jenner. Um, I'm sure I'm forgetting a million people. Uh, Sandra Bullock, Ellen, Ellen, Porsche. Of course. I can't forget them. 

James: [00:02:56] So well yeah, let's talk, let's just pull one at random. We'll start with Ellen and Porsche. Cause they've been in the news a little bit this year. Tell me about your interactions with them. And, and. 

Melissa: [00:03:09] I always say an and when they were in the news, I, I put out there that my experiences with them have been just so beyond amazing. These are two women, that first of all could obviously buy any dog that they wanted. Right? And Porsche is a huge fan of a purebred dog. She races horses or raises horses, but she rides horses and has retired Olympic race horses like on, in her, on her property. So she's really into animals and pure breed dogs and just gorgeous animals. And, um, the way I met them is my son went to school with Sandra Bullock's daughter, and when Sandy was looking for a dog, she knew I did rescue. She knew I did a rescue. So she kind of texted me and she's like, listen, like my whole life I just wanted the dog that was the underdog, and I picked these chihuahuas that no one wanted with like three legs or one eye. And she said, now I have these, these two children who are my whole world and they are allergic to dogs. So they want dogs, but I really have to be careful. And I have to make sure that I get a purebred poodle, but I would never, ever buy one. And. I don't love like that white, fluffy poodle with like the socks and, you know, the poodle cut and she's like, I would love to travel with a dog. So I would like them to be under 10 pounds and she had all these, these things that she needed and I'm like, okay, okay. And she's like, so I'm in no rush. Like I'm here. And when you find this perfect dog, like we'll do it. And I said, okay. So I started texting her different dogs and she happened to be on Ellen when I was texting her, these adorable pictures, um, of this, this poodle mix. We weren't really sure what she was, but I was pretty sure she would be hypo. And so she was like, oh my God, I love this dog. And she showed Ellen and Ellen's like, who is this dog? What is up with this dog? Where is this dog? What is this place? And, and Ellen sort of put me on her radar. Sandy did not.end up adopting that particular dog, because her kids were allergic. They came and met the dog and they were really devastated. Um, but Ellen found a home for the dog. Now, I still had never talked to Ellen. She just had a friend who was looking and kind of connected us. And, um, then a couple months later I get a phone call and it's Ellen and she's like, hi, I'm Ellen. And you know, Porsche really wants another dog. And I almost passed out because obviously, this woman is exactly who she says she is, because I could recognize her voice and, you know, she's this huge celebrity and she's just like, I'm Ellen, and I'm like, okay. And she said, I've been following your rescue and I, porsche wants a dog, but she has to have a purebred poodle. And she, she really likes standards. We had a standard and like, they, they also had some things that needed to happen because they have three dogs and they have cats and to fit a dog into a pack is a big deal, you know? And I also feel like what people don't understand about celebrities, cause they're always like, oh, well the celebrity of course got the dog that they wanted. You know, there's a lot of pressure when a celebrity wants a dog and they're going to be posting about this dog, just like we all post about our lives and put ourselves out on social media. They are going to be scrutinized. They're going to be talked about, and God forbid, this dog does not work out in their family, which by the way, happens to people all the time. Like regular people it happens. Sometimes a dog does not fit into your life. Right? They don't have the ability to just be like, you know what? I don't want this dog anymore. They have to kind of make it work. Right. You know?

James: [00:07:03] It's, it's bad press it's there's enough pressure to make an adoption successful, but the extra media attention, if it's not successful would be bad.

Melissa: [00:07:14] It's bad. And then, you know, they're, they're all such advocates for rescue. They don't want people to think, well, gosh, Ellen, couldn't even figure out how to keep a rescue dog. I don't need to figure out how to keep a rescue dog. You know, they don't want to do that. They want to advocate for, for rescue and they want to advocate for these beings. So anyway, it was this, this funny thing, and she's like, you know, if we could find a standard poodle and I had been doing that a lot. At that point, we were doing mostly like we have the two dog hotels and we were sort of helping clients and different people find dogs that were right for them. And I was working with a lot of other 5 0 1 C3 is to, to find appropriate dogs for people, not just celebrities, like just people. So I was kind of just pet matchmaking. As opposed to just having my own 5 0 1 C3 at that point. So I went out and I went on all these poodle groups and I just started like putting the word out there. I have this great client and she's looking for a standard and prefers somebody young, maybe a puppy, whatever, all these things that they wanted. And I get a phone call and this guy is like, wow. You know, I have two standards, and I got them from my uncle and I'm getting kicked out of my house and he sends me this picture of this pathetic little chocolate puppy that was so thin in a backyard. And just like, just horrible, like, just look terrible. So I send the picture to Ellen. I'm like, well, there's this puppy, and, um, her and Porsche called me, they were on their way to dinner or something. And. Um, she's like, you're on speaker and Porsche's like, well, how do you know it's a purebred? And like, I want a rescue, but like, I just, you know, like we don't, it's not like we have a million dogs and I just, this is what I want. And I said, well, I don't know. Let me ask him. And I said, well, where did you get these dogs? And he goes, oh, well, my uncle has the parents and a couple of the other siblings. And like, we just really don't want them. And he sends me a photo of the parents of this dog and two standard poodles, like 90 pounds each are shoved in a tiny little cage. And I'm like, oh my God. And so I sent it to Ellen and Ellen goes, what is that? Why are they, why are they in that cage? I go, I don't know. And so I, I texted back and I said, well, I would, I could help you with all of them. And he goes, you'll take all of them? And I said, we'll take all of them. And I remember it was right around Thanksgiving and the dog hotel was so busy, like just packed. And I call my staff and I'm like, we're getting 10 standard poodles. We need a huge area where we have a mom and a dad and eight puppy. And they're like, are you kidding? And I'm like, I'm not kidding like, let's just make it happen. So they're like ready to kill me. We, we do it. We find this big area for them. We, me and my husband go to like the middle of the desert in Lancaster or something, and my husband's like, there's a prison that like, where are we? I'm like, I don't know. And we get these dogs and they smell, and they're just like have dreadlocks hanging from them. And the puppies are so skinny, like painfully skinny. And we put them all in the car and we drive back and, um, we, we get these dogs, you know, and we put them in the dog hotel and. Ellen I called him and I said, okay, we have the dogs and sh and Porsche comes and she, she comes to the dog hotel and they're in this room and, you know, there's 10 of them. So they're like peeing and you know, there's 10 dogs in this one room and Porsche lays right on the floor with them in her like beautiful silk pants. I mean, I'll never forget. I'm just like looking at her and I'm like, oh man, I'm in like sweatpants. Oh my God. And she's like, oh my God, I'm so in love. And she's like, they are beautiful. And I just, I think this is the one and I don't know. And she's like, let me call my wife. So she's calling her wife and her wife's filming, Ellen's filming. And she's like, why is she not calling me back? And Porsche had a friend with her and her friend's like, well, she's probably like in the middle of filming a shot. And she's like, this is important. Our child stand out. She's like, so finally, okay. I don't think this is far from Warner Brothers and she's like, no, it's like a 10 minute drive. So I will be right there. So Ellen comes in, my staff is like freaking out at this point, you know? And I'm like, guys, chill, no phones, no cameras. That is my thing. Like, you know, we, we deal with a lot of celebrities, but we, you know, you have to give them their privacy because this is their decision. And like I said, it's, I almost feel like it's a bigger decision for them because not only is there the. The whole thing of getting a dog and putting a dog into your house, which is already a huge decision to make, and it's going to change the dynamic of your family, but then there's also the fact of all of these people are going to be judging you and watching you and making, you know, Can't keep the dog God forbid. Like you're the worst person ever. So she comes in and she was really like, nervous about it and, and bringing another dog into the house. And much more than Porsche, Porsche was like ready to like put two under her arm and leave. And Ellen's like, no, we have to think about this. Like, I don't know. And, um, They met the mom and dad and, and, you know, they, they spent some time with them and they left. They didn't take a puppy. And so Ellen calls and she says, okay, we've talked about it. We want this dog where like in love, and can you bring the dog to my house tomorrow? And I said sure. So, um, I get this little puppy and I'm telling the puppy did not look good at this point. The puppy was so skinny and just really a mess, you know? And I, I bring the puppy over and they just decided to keep this puppy. And I told her, I said, look, I'm not gonna talk about this. I'm not going to put pictures up about this. I said, if you guys want to do that, that's like totally on you. I said, but I really want to respect your privacy. And she was like, good, because I'm a, I'm going to change your life. That's what she said to me. And I was like, what? She goes, I'm gonna. I'm just, I hope you're ready cause I'm going to change your life. And I really didn't understand at that moment what she meant, but here we are almost two years later and I totally understand she, this was, I believe a Friday, her monologue on her show on Monday was about Wagmor and was about this poodle puppy that she adopted. And, um, it was just like overnight. We went from a couple of dogs being adopted here and there too, people like flying out of the woodwork. Like we need a dog from Wagmor um, and I was like, okay. Cause you know, we have a dog hotel. Like we have a few dogs up for adoption, but yeah. You know, we don't really have like a huge amounts of dogs and Ellen just wanted to help. And she's like, I love what you do. I love how you do it. I love that. You're not like judgemental and, and you don't like, you're not specific with breed and you, you just kind of help people find matches. And you know, to me, like she was telling me, she's like, that's what we appreciate about you in her monologue. She just talked about us and she talked about Wally and she talked about like, I think I'm trying to remember. Cause she, she did several um, monologues about us, but in that one, I feel like she said, you could just drive right up to their hotel and it's like drive through and get a dog, you know, like it was super funny. Um, and then from that point, she said, you know, I want to feature a few of your dogs every week. And she started doing that and it really made me realize that I, I could house more dogs and I should, because if we can. Find them homes like let's do it. So I started taking him more dogs and I reopened a 5 0 1 C3. And that litter, I believe it was that litter. She started telling her friends about. So that's when Chrissy Tiegen and Chris Jenner, Maya Rudolph, um, 

James: [00:14:51] All these are, all of these were adopted from that, from that poodle family of 10 poodle family. 

Melissa: [00:14:58] Yeah. And they called and they were just like, you know, Ellen told us about these poodles and whatever, and I'm like, okay. So they flew out the door, obviously, even the parents. Um, and then, you know, we just started taking in more dogs and by the next year, When the pandemic hit and the hotels just became pretty empty. And at that point, you know, we, we had celebrity clients that use the hotels, a lot of them, and they had adopted from us. But, um, you know, it was, it was just because they were in there and they would see these dogs in the window and they knew that they needed homes. And so they would adopt here and there. But when the pandemic hit. We decided, I decided I was like, well, I have two hotels that are empty basically. And I have staff for them 24 hours a day. And either I can like close and just wait it out. Like a lot of people did or we are considered essential because we have living creatures that we have to take care of. We could stay open and just try to help as many dogs as we can. And I, I truly, truly on March 15th, 2020, did not think that this was going to continue. You know? Like I don't think the rest of the world did either. I think we all kind of thought, oh, a couple of weeks a month and we'll go back to normal. Yeah. And we kept going and it was like, we really have the capacity and the ability to help a lot of dogs and people were lining up at like 4:00 AM to adopt dogs from us. They just. The adoption rate was so way up. Um, so we really started taking in a ton of dogs and it, we had celebrities starting to text me or find us on Instagram and kind of say, Hey, this is what I'm looking for. Most of the time with celebrities it's very specific. Um, and they'll kind of DM or, or get my number from somebody and call me or email me and they'll say, Hey, this is what I'm looking for. Like, if you can keep your eyes opened and let me know.

James: [00:17:12] When we return the celebrity snowball continues when an unexpected phone call comes from a very special friend and we find out what celebrities are looking for in a rescue dog. We'll be right back after this. We're back with Melissa Bacelar. AKA the celebrity pet matchmaker who helps find rescue dogs, their forever homes. Ellen really helped launch Wagmor pets as the place to go to for the big name stars. Who else did she have a hand in connecting you with? 

Melissa: [00:17:42] I was in target with my kids and my phone rings and it was an unknown number and I pick it up and there's this voice. Hi, this is Jennifer Aniston and Ellen gave me your number. And I'm like, hi. And she's like, I'm thinking about getting a third dog. Has to be super specific because her dogs are very picky with other animals. Um, and so I worked with Jen for about a year until we found Chesterfield. 

James: [00:18:08] And so what are the kinds of things that Jen, Jennifer, Jen Aniston was looking for, jennifer to me, but, um, in a, in a dog. 

Melissa: [00:18:18] Well, you know, her, she loves dogs. She loves all kinds of dogs. The two dogs that she had when I, when she was calling me were Clyde who's this funny like terrier, but big and long. So he's like a Basset Terrier or something, and she has Sophie, which is a pit bull mix. And you know, her biggest thing honestly, was that they got along with her other two dogs. Like that was her main concern. 

James: [00:18:46] How did you know Clyde and Sophie, did she say, come on over and I want you to meet my other dogs. So you get to, 

Melissa: [00:18:51] She came to me first and looked at dogs and then I did start bringing dogs to her house and, you know, having little play dates with them and she loves golden retrievers, and her first dog who has passed away was a white shepherd. So. I knew that those two breeds were kind of like what she liked to look at, you know? Like Goldens and white shepherds and then she fell in love with a labradoodle that we randomly got. Um, but it just, it was not the right energy for her two dogs. It just wasn't. So she eventually landed on a great pyrenees mix. Um, who's the guy that's, you know, on her Instagram now and all her, her pictures, but it took a long time to find the right match. And I was actually really surprised she went with a puppy because she didn't want the energy to like annoy her other two dogs. And they're, they're older. They're not young dogs, but it worked out perfectly. And she has worked really hard to get the three of them to kind of be a family. And it wasn't easy, but she did it and now they're living together in perfect harmony. So yeah. 

James: [00:20:02] That's cool, walk us through one of these auditions. So you bring a dog before you got Chesterfield. You bring a dog, you say, I think this is the right dog Jen, can I come over and let's arrange a play date?

Melissa: [00:20:13] Yeah. So I would basically with her, you know, everybody's different, but with her, I would kind of text a photo and she'd be like, oh my gosh, I love, and she loves every dog, so don't get me wrong. It wasn't, 

James: [00:20:25] It's not like you're not, you're taking the best photos, right?

Melissa: [00:20:28] Yeah. Yeah. Like it wasn't like I would text her dog and she's like, oh no, that one's ugly. No, she loved every single one. So usually, um, I would text her a picture and she would kind of be like, wow, that dog's really cute, and I think that might be the one and let me, let me come and meet them. So she would always come to me first. So she would usually bring a friend and her and her friend Amanda came many, many times. Amanda Inca. Um, and they would come and they would play with the dogs and they would just fall in love. And then if she thought it was the right fit, then she would be like, all right, why don't you bring the dog over, on this day? And a couple of them, we brought over a couple times, um, and Chesterfield was the first one she let do a sleep over. And that's how I knew. I kind of had a feeling once he made it to a sleep over, that was going to be the one. 

James: [00:21:18] It was a big deal when Jen Aniston invites you to sleep over at her house.

Melissa: [00:21:22] Totally. So, um, that was kind of how it went with with Chesterfield. And she was like, I just, you know, she was scared to commit because again, first of all, she is the type of person that no matter what would have happened once she said that this dog was hers, this dog would have just stayed with her forever, you know? So it, it has to be the right fit. And I totally understand that and that pressure. So, um, Because we have people return dogs. I mean, people will get a dog. We've had people return dogs in 12 hours. So, you know, it happens. It's just, it can't happen for celebrities because people are watching them and they know that

James: [00:22:02] It's a higher level of scrutiny.

Melissa: [00:22:05] Yeah. Yes, yes. And it's like, you know, they're like not allowed to have normal human things happen. They have to be above that, you know? So it's really hard for them to, to decide and make that commitment. Um, but that was Jen and Chesterfield. Uh, Lucy Hale recently adopted a dog and she's been looking for about a year with us. Um, and she finally got this cute little malty poo that she's obsessed with. I'm trying to think we have a couple that people don't know about yet. Um, that have taken dogs over the past couple of days. Like I could give you one, I could give you one. Um, cause I know she she's, um, Brittany Snow and her head then came in and adopted a dog last week and they've been looking for a little while her, her dog recently passed away and she's just been completely devastated and they came three or four times and looked and finally fell in love with a little puppy. Um, you know, so. It's often. It's often that people come in and fall in love. And I think it's just because of the level of trust they have for us, because we never put pressure on people. We never announced things unless it's okay with them. And, you know, we're, we're respectful about that. And we ask, um, Yeah. I mean, I think that's what it comes down to. 

James: [00:23:36] What's the strangest request you've had it from a celebrity in terms of a wishlist. 

Melissa: [00:23:42] I mean, Sandra Bullock definitely was the funniest because she was like, okay, Melissa, I need, you know, a poodle, but I don't like the way poodles look. So if they're a little messed up, like missing a leg or an eye, I'm cool. I'm cool. So like, it was my joke. I was like, all right. So basically you want me to get, get a poodle and like, put them in the back and let my kid give them a haircut or something. And she's like, yes, yes. You know, she's like, we just don't like that like perfect, cute poodle. Yes, totally. And, um, you know, it was like, so kind of weird looking, definitely not a white poodle has to be like red or gray or black or something. She's like under 10 pounds. Good with kids, easy to travel with. Like, it was, the list was so long and I was like, see, you want a unicorn? And she's like, I want a unicorn. So. That one was, was probably like the craziest um, just because it was so long, I can't announce the newest one yet because it's not like 100% confirmed because they're trying to convince their husband, but she came in the other day, a celebrity of, of an extremely well-known TV show, like, even my mom knew who she was, which is a big deal because my mom knows nobody, you know? Um, and this woman came in with her, her kids and she, we just rescued 41 dogs from Asia and they all were from the meat market. And they're all poodles. They're all of these poodles, which we, you know, we, we don't, it seems like we get a lot of poodles, but we really don't. It's very, once in a while, and to have 41 of them was like a big deal. And so she pulls in and she's like, I really, we had a poodle that passed away. Like, it's not the right time because we're going away for the whole summer. But like, I really want, this is the one she showed me the picture from my Instagram page. And I said, well, here's the deal, that one has a very hurt back leg that we didn't know about until Monday when the vets came and probably is going to have her leg amputated. And like her teeth are all abscessed and she needs like every tooth pulled and she's like, I love that. She goes, she needs me more than the cute two year old one over there that needs nothing. She goes, I love that she needs me. And um, she said, let me see what I could do. And so right now we had the dog scheduled for surgery and sh this, this particular celebrity, which we will talk about eventually, but just not today, um, asked if she could bring the dog to her specialist and she's really just going above and beyond, and it's because, she wants to help this underdog. I have found that like 99% of the celebrities that come in and want to work with us, know that they can really make a difference in these dogs lives and want to do that. And that's why they're rescuing because let's face it. If you're a celebrity and you want to poodle. You could make one phone call and get a poodle. Any poodle you want. I mean, you know, I'm sure any breeder, any like whatever is going to be like, oh, okay. And they're going to want to sell you a dog. Right? Um, but they want to adopt, they want to make a difference. They want the world to see that you can get a poodle or you can get whatever kind of dog you want in rescue.

James: [00:26:58] They want to leverage their celebrity in a way to make a difference and set an example. 

Melissa: [00:27:03] Yes. It's very important to them. It really is. It really is. And it's a beautiful thing. Um, because again, you know, Jennifer Aniston, she could have went and bought a dog, right. No problem. But she didn't want to do that. And she waited. I mean, it was, it was at least a year with me that she was looking for the right fit. These celebrity adoptions help us fund other things, not just because the celebrities are donating, donating, which they all do, but because them shedding light onto what we do makes other people want to help and be part of, of this mission that we have.

James: [00:27:42] It's a win-win for, for everyone. And especially for the dogs. 

Melissa: [00:27:46] For the dogs, yeah.

James: [00:27:49] As you, as you look back on your career, cause you started as an actress, right? Where are you from? You're from the east coast. 

Melissa: [00:27:55] I'm from New Jersey. I grew up born and raised in Jersey

James: [00:27:59] And you came to LA to become a star, something like that. And so as you look back on your career, what would you tell your self that came from New Jersey to go to LA that she should know. If you look back, 

Melissa: [00:28:18] It's taken a long time. Um, but just to do what makes you happy, because if you would, would've told me if you would have told 19 year old me that I would be doing podcasts and I would, you know, have like this Instagram account and I would be asked to be on TV shows and all this stuff because of dog rescue. I would've been like what? You're kidding? You know, I mean, I would have never thought that, but to be honest with you, the joy I get from this is so much more than the joy I ever got from auditioning and having four lines on, you know, some TV show or whatever. Um, This is really what I want to do and what I like to do and what gets me out of bed every day. So I think it would have just been, not to think it through. I think as, as human beings, we always want to know how this is going to happen or how we're going to get there and we have to plan it. And I've just learned over the last 20 years. Not to really plan anything like just do I just wake up and I do. I don't plan. I do. And it, it it's been working out. 

James: [00:29:32] You're in the moment, just like the dogs. 

Melissa: [00:29:35] Just like the dogs, 

James: [00:29:38] Melissa Bacelar you are a Hollywood star to so many dogs. Thank you so much for being with us on the Long Leash. 

Melissa: [00:29:45] Thank you for having me. 

James: [00:29:48] From humble beginnings, all the way to pet rescue superstardom, Wagmor Pets and Melissa Bacelar have made their mark on hundreds of dogs and dozens of celebrities. But also on the important contribution that all rescue organizations have in giving dogs a second chance at a happy life. We hope you've enjoyed this episode of the Long Leash. We'll have links to Wagmor's website and Instagram in our show notes, which you can also find on our website at longleashshow.com. If you'd like to hear more stories here at Dog Podcast Network, we have a wide selection of shows that just might tickle your dog fancy. Other than the Long Leash, we have weekly episodes of Dog Edition and Dog Cancer Answers, with more shows coming very soon. You can visit our network website at dogpodcastnetwork.com to learn more and to sign up for our free newsletter. We always love to hear what listeners like you think about our shows and what input you have, and you can let us know by hitting that little blue microphone of at the bottom of every page on our website and leave us a voice message. Whether it's feedback about our shows or stories or interviews that you'd like to hear, we are all ears. Our website again, longleashshow.com. I'd like to thank Melissa Bacelar for being with us today. But most of all, I'd like to thank you for listening. I'm James Jacobson. And from all of us here at Dog Podcast Network, we wish you and your dog, a very warm aloha