Justin Baldoni’s home was one of the 23 million American households that adopted a pet during the pandemic.
“I got him in early 2020,” Baldoni told USA TODAY Wednesday while in New York City for the 9th annual New York Dog Film Festival. “I don’t know if it was the best decision. It was a puppy during a pandemic. My wife and I thought, ‘Oh, we should get a dog, the kids would be happy.’
“It felt like having another child in the house,” he laughed. “There were a lot.”
Baldoni, 40, named the newest member of his family, a Goldendoodle, “Happy.”
Happy, now 4 years old, was found to suffer from severe anxiety.
“That name doesn’t necessarily fit his character,” the “Seraph of the End” actor said. “He’s a sweetheart, but we’re really happy.”
Only one member of the Baldoni family can soothe Happy’s anxiety. Actor’s father Sam Baldoni.
“(Happy) and my father bonded in the most beautiful way,” Baldoni said. “My dad says he’s Happy’s service dog. My dad is calm, kind, and empathetic, but Happy is a little nervous.”
“My dad just calms him down,” the actor and producer added. “It’s very sweet.”
Baldoni said Happy is on a gluten-free diet because he develops rashes and hot spots and can be “indulgent” when it comes to food, adding that his dog’s favorite treats include anything off the table, such as steak. He added that he could eat anything.
Even with anxiety, Baldoni says Happy can brighten up the mood wherever he goes, especially in the way he expresses his excitement.
“He doesn’t know how to wag his tail,” Baldoni said. “So he’s shaking his butt. Like he’s shaking his whole butt. And it looks like he’s doing a salsa dance or something.”
dogs don’t hide their emotions
Baldoni added that his favorite thing about dogs is that they “know their place” with them.
“They don’t hide their feelings from you,” Baldoni says. “They don’t suppress anything. When they’re really happy, they’re happy and it’s contagious.”
Mr. Baldoni has spent years raising awareness about mental health and speaking out against toxic masculinity (he also wrote a New York Times bestseller on the subject, “Boys Become Men”). , said dogs and animals in general are great for “helping people.” They struggle with their mental health. A 2019 study published in the American Heart Association’s peer-reviewed journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes found that owning a dog can lead to longer lives, especially for people with heart disease.
However, the actor clarified that that doesn’t mean everyone should “just run out and get a dog.”
“I don’t want to suggest that dogs are just a treatment for anxiety or mental illness,” Baldoni said. “If you’re someone who suffers from depression or anxiety, I hope you make time and space in your life to care for a dog, because caring for a dog comes with a lot of responsibility.”
Service dog salute
The “Jane the Virgin” alum recently partnered with Purina Dog Chow at this year’s NY Dog Film Festival to present a new “Jane the Virgin” film focused on the impact service dogs have on veterinarians suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. The winner of the “Service Dog Salute” category was selected. (PTSD).
“Dogs show love,” Baldoni said. “There’s a really beautiful relationship there.”
Although Baldoni advocates for more resources to be allocated to training service dogs and helping people suffering from PTSD, Baldoni says the topic is part of a broader discussion of breaking the shackles of mental health and toxic masculinity. He added that it is part of the
“I’ve spent a lot of time in the field of masculinity and working with men,” Baldoni said during a panel discussion during an exclusive screening of nominees in the “Service Dog Salute” category. “I think the courage it takes to admit that you have PTSD and that there’s something wrong with you is just as courageous as going into battle.”
“It’s not something that’s ever been talked about,” he continued. “It’s very moving to see them come forward and ask for help, because I know how much courage that takes. That’s real courage, real courage.”
“Dogs can make a difference”
Mr. Baldoni also praised Dog Chow and the New York Dog Film Festival for highlighting the message through the film. He believes that the medium of film “has the potential to spark an interest in something that we have not paid attention to before.”
“When I saw this particular film, it really made me want to become more of an advocate in this field and learn more about the Service Dog Salute Program and learn more about how service dogs help veterans. I felt it,” Baldoni said. I even almost choked at one point.
A recent study conducted by the University of Arizona in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health found that service dogs can reduce the severity of PTSD, anxiety, and depression, and improve social and emotional well-being. It has been pointed out that this has had a significant impact on the lives of military veterans.
The actor explained that he approaches every film he makes from the “perspective” of “moving the heart.”
“I wanted someone to feel something through my work, that’s what I was originally looking for,” he said. “Which movie moves me the most?”
From October 24th through Veterans Day, November 11th, 2024, for every time you watch the award-winning film “A Dog Can Make a Difference,” Purina Dog Chow will donate $5, up to $75,000, to nonprofit organizations. Donate to the Association of Service Dog Providers, a coalition. The company said in a news release that it is benefiting service dog providers to help train more PTSD service dogs at no cost to veterans.
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Contact her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
