Jennifer Aniston shares how 'Friends' sparked her love of rescuing dogs

Jennifer Aniston has Friends to thank for her journey as a pet parent.

In an interview with People magazine, the 55-year-old actress opened up about the inspiration behind the first instalment of her upcoming four-book children’s series, Clydeo Takes a Bite Out of Life.

She recalled thinking about the book offer, “Obviously I’ll make it about something that I fully love and adore, which is my rescue animals.”

Her love for rescuing dogs began on the set of Friends, where she met her first rescue dog, Norman.

“He was in a scene with Joey and Chandler on Friends when they left baby Ben on the bus. They were running through the streets and ran into a dog walker that had all these dogs. Norman was one of them, and I just fell in love.”

Norman, a Welsh Corgi-terrier mix, passed away in 2011, and her other dog, Dolly, died in 2019. Today, Aniston’s dogs Lord Chesterfield and Clyde are by her side, with Clyde inspiring the book.

The series coincides with the launch of her new Clydeo Fund, which aims to raise money and awareness for rescue organisations.

“I got the addiction to dogs and what they bring to you. Cut to now wanting to rescue all shelter puppies in the world,” Aniston reflected.