Pet nation

When Fido is the celebrity

Call it a canine audition. Bash Dibra, author of the new book, "Star Pet: How to Make Your Pet a Star," is looking for dogs with the potential to star in commercials and movies, dogs with that "it" factor. Dibra says a successful dog can earn as much as $50,000 a year. That translates to a lot of kibble.

Among the hopeful pooches is our own Woody, dog number 11. On the audition stage, he strikes a picture-perfect pose, then mom Heather shows how he can bark "I love you."

Celebrity pets have been around for decades. Who could forget Lassie, Benji or Toto? And now you can find talented pets everywhere. On Broadway, eight dogs hit the stage in the new show, "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang," on the runway in February, doggy models unveiled Target's new line of petwear.

On television, we've had Morris the cat and Gidget the Taco Bell Chihuahua. And on the big screen, there's Bruiser in "Legally Blonde," and Frank the pug in "Men in Black." New York Veterinarian Dr. Amy Attas' dog Winston is such a dead ringer for Frank, he could probably sign pawtographs.

Dateline Special: Pet Nation Part 1: Our pets and why we love them Part 2: Treating our pets like people Part 3: Push for cutting edge medicine Part 4: Red carpet life for celebrity pets Part 5: When Fido is the celebrity Part 6: First pets of the White House PET NATION MAIN PAGE

Some pets become stars because they hang with the right people. Minnie, a regular on MTV's "The Osbournes," is Sharon Osbourne's beloved Pomeranian. Minnie even gets her nails painted to match mommy's. And like all of Sharon and rocker husband Ozzy's 14 dogs, this diva drinks only bottled water.

At the Osbourne's Beverly Hills mansion, spoiling is the name of the game. The dogs, whose portraits grace the staircase, have free run of the pool and the waterfall. And when it comes to pampering, nothing's off limits, even if that means a little nip tuck.

Sharon Osbourne: “Ozzie's favorite dog ever was a bulldog. And his folds were so heavy that he had to have a facelift.”

Roker: “He had a facelift?”

Osbourne: “He had a facelift before me. I was jealous!” 

Other pets are famous for where they live – like the ones at Hugh Hefner's Playboy Mansion. Holly Madison, Hef's "main gal," took me on a tour of the mansion zoo, home to some 200 animals.

Roker: “You've got everything from bunnies, obviously…”

Hugh Hefner: “Of course.”

Roker: “To monkeys. Why such an exotic menagerie in your backyard?”

Hefner: “Walking through the woods, and the interconnection to the animals here, is almost a spiritual experience for me.”

Roker: “Do you ever talk in a different voice, kind of like baby talk or anything to your pets?”

Hefner: “No, no, no, I don't do that, no.”

Roker: “No, no, no, no, no?”

Hefner: “Maybe I do, who knows?”

Back at the canine audition, Woody is still working on getting his 15 minutes of fame. Star pet trainer Bash Dibra wants to see if he can follow the kind of basic commands a photo shoot would entail. So is Woody Hollywood material? As Heather and Jimmy await the verdict, Dibra reviews the audition photos.

Dibra: “Oh that's beautiful, yeah Woody has it. I think he has star quality all the way. First we'd start with print jobs, eventually a TV series, a sitcom.”

Just imagine Woody's first Emmy. Those are big dreams for a little dog, and his parents couldn't be prouder.