Hayden Panettiere was known around the world for her work on screen—from Heroes to Nashville—but behind the actress was something we at DOGUE will always remember: a young woman with an extraordinary love for animals.
She was a devoted dog lover and a passionate advocate for animal welfare. In 2007, for example, Panettiere traveled to Taiji, Japan, to join activists protesting the killing of dolphins. She also spent time in Africa, where she raised baby zebras and played with lion cubs. She described the experience as amazing and talked enthusiastically about traveling, safaris and being surrounded by animals.
Panettiere’s passion for animals wasn’t limited to the pets in her home. Throughout her career, Panettiere used her fame to speak out against animal cruelty.
Long before she became a household name, Panettiere had already grown up in front of the camera. She began appearing in commercials as a baby and went on to build an impressive career as an actress, singer, songwriter and performer. But when asked what she might have done if she hadn’t pursued acting, her answer revealed where her heart truly was:
“I would work with animals. I love animals.”
And she meant it.
Her Four-Legged Family
Panettiere was a devoted rescue-dog mom, with dogs by her side throughout her life. Ka’ala was the first rescue dog that Hayden saved from the streets, beginning her lifelong dedication to animal rescue and advocacy.
After Ka’ala, she welcomed other rescue dogs like Penny Lane, Madison, Zander, and Xena.
In an interview with Animal Fair, she spoke affectionately about two of her dogs, Penny Lane and Madison—both rescues.
Penny Lane, a Chocolate Lab/Water Spaniel mix, came into her life as a Christmas gift after Panettiere had always dreamed of having a dog. Madison, a Terrier mix, was adopted through Much Love Animal Rescue, an organization dedicated to rescuing dogs from shelters.
The two couldn’t have been more different.
Penny Lane was, in Hayden’s words, essentially a four-legged whirlwind—“like a dog with ADD.” She was energetic, endlessly happy and apparently convinced that every hallway was a racetrack.
“She always wants to run off and do her own thing,” Panettiere recalled.
Madison was more reserved. Panettiere believed she had experienced abuse and described her as wary of men, but clearly loved and protected within her family.
And where did they sleep?
Anywhere they wanted.
Madison had a particularly glamorous preference: a laundry basket.
“Any time you’re looking for her she’s lying in this little laundry basket on the floor,” Panettiere said.
Honestly, we approve.
Later, Panettiere also had two French Bulldogs, Nala and Sadie, whom she shared on her Instagram.
A Rescue Lover at Heart
Dogs weren’t the only animals to find a home with Panettiere.
She also cared deeply for cats, including Rolley, whom she rescued as a tiny kitten after finding him trapped behind a dryer at the Oakwood Apartments. His mother had abandoned him, and Panettiere took him home.
Another cat, Jam, came from her father’s time as a firefighter. The firehouse cat had kittens, and one eventually became part of Panettiere’s family.
Even while acknowledging that she was allergic to cats, Panettiere couldn’t stay away from them.
“I just want to hug him all the time and then I sit there and sneeze for hours afterwards,” she joked about Rolley.
That tells you quite a lot about Hayden.
The allergies were apparently no match for the love.
A Life Remembered With Paws
To the world, Hayden Panettiere was an actress, singer and performer whose career began almost as soon as she could walk. But to the animals who shared her life, she was something much simpler.
She was home.
She was the person who brought rescue dogs into her family, who pulled an abandoned kitten from behind a dryer, who made room for animals who needed somewhere to belong, and who dreamed of dedicating her life to them.
At DOGUE, we believe a person’s relationship with animals can reveal something profound about who they are.
Hayden Panettiere’s love for animals was never simply a footnote to her remarkable career. It was big part of who she was.
And that is the part of her story we will remember today.
R.I.P. Hayden Panettiere. You had a heart of gold, and you will be greatly missed.