Britney Spears voted worst celebrity dog owner

Pop star pilloried for pet-parenting skills, according to online vote

Eric Jamison / AP file

Britney Spears plays with her dog during the Billboard Music Awards on Dec. 8, 2004, in Las Vegas.

Slideshow

Image: To match FEATURE KAZAKHSTAN-EAGLES/

Animal Tracks
Find a hawk-eyed hunter, a snow-covered pup, a hungry chimp, a merry pair of ring-tailed lemurs — plus more images of cute critters.

more photos

Pet health videos

TODAY

From bow to wow: Pound pups' makeovers
Dec. 2: NBC’s Jill Rappaport shows off shelter dogs who have been given makeovers. Richard Gentles, of New York City’s Animal Care and Control, talks about ways to adopt these precious pups.

Hidden dangers for overweight pets

Abandoned pups, kittens feel recession

Miracle pup survives 3 months in wilderness

Pet turkey needs cataract surgery

updated 1:35 p.m. ET Dec. 18, 2006

NEW YORK - When it comes to celebrity dog-parenting skills, Oprah Winfrey is tops and Britney Spears is the world’s worst, according to an online vote by readers of two dog magazines.

“Britney was the overwhelming choice” for worst celebrity dog owner for 2006, Hilary O’Hagan, editor of The New York Dog and The Hollywood Dog magazines, said in a statement.

“She once had three Chihuahuas ... and never left home without at least one of them on her arm,” O’Hagan said. “As soon as she met K-Fed and had kids they (the dogs) disappeared.”

Story continues below ↓

advertisement | your ad here

Spears has filed for divorce from aspiring rapper Kevin Federline. The 25-year-old pop singer and Federline, 28, have a 1-year-old son, Sean Preston, and a 3-month-old son, Jayden James.

Paris Hilton, 2005’s “worst” winner, placed second for “treating her dogs like accessories,” the magazines said.

Click for related content

Winfrey, who owns five dogs, was voted this year’s best celebrity dog owner. The talk-show host replaced 2005 winner Joss Stone, and beat off competition from Tori Spelling, Nicollette Sheridan and Beth Ostrosky, Howard Stern’s girlfriend.

Voting took place online over a three-month period. Results weren’t scientifically representative of the magazines’ readers, and the total number of votes won’t be released, O’Hagan said Monday.