Josh Duhamel is an actor and former model who starred in such films as “Trasformers” and “When in Rome”, etc. He is a husband of Fergie and happy father of 4-month-old son, Axl Jack. But there's another love in Duhamel's life, too: his dachshund, Zoe.

He loves his little dog and decided to join to Pedigree advertising campaign of “good food”. Josh starred in a series of documentary shorts at the Sundance Film Festival in support of the brand's “See what good food can do” campaign.

Reporter: Hey, Josh! How are you? Hopefully, you're somewhere warm today.

Josh Duhamel: I am in Utah today. I was expecting freezing cold weather and it is actually... actually, I could put on my thong bikini and go out by the pool. It is that nice.

Reporter: Wow...that sounds really nice. Well, to jump right in here, can you tell us a bit about your collaboration with Pedigree, in a nutshell?

Josh: Well, it's something that Pedigree's been doing for years — I think they've donated something like 20 million pounds of dog food since 2008 — so what they're doing now is they're just sort of documenting what exactly good food can do. And it's amazing when you see some of these dogs come to these shelters.

I have spent time over the last year or so visiting certain shelters and you see some of these transport trucks bring in dogs from various parts of the country... these dogs that otherwise who knows what would have happened to them, but they are given a second chance.

A lot of them are so underfed that in order to get them healthy enough to become adoptable — you know, that's part of the whole initiative — they have to make sure that they're fed really well. That is where I think Pedigree's really stepped up, and it is a big reason why I joined forces with them.

Reporter: So how would you hook up with David Ortiz on this project?

Josh: Uh, he is a huge fan of my work, David Ortiz is. (laughs) No, I doubt David Ortiz knows who I am — but I know who he is. When I heard he was doing it, I did not realize he was a dog lover, too. So it was Pedigree's doing getting us together... I will meet him later today.

Reporter:  This is not your first time working with a pet-related charity. You have also been a spokesperson for PetSmart charities to campaign for pet adoption. How much did your experience with your adopted dog Meatloaf play in you becoming involved with such pet-centric causes?

Josh: That is the whole reason. The first dog that I ever had, I think I got it my second year on Las Vegas. A friend of mine had a dachshund, and I loved that little dude! I wanted one right then, so I found out how to get one and I went out and I bought it.

Shortly after that, some friends of mine who were rescue advocates said, “What are you doing? Do you realize that there are millions of dogs out there that you can adopt?” So, when we (Duhamel and his wife, Fergie) decided to get a friend for Zoe, we went and found Meatloaf at a dachshund rescue. And that's when I first sort of really understood what they were talking about because he turned out to be just the coolest little guy.

He was this little dachshund mix, and he was just the best companion. He truly appreciated that he had a place and had a home, and he did not feel like he was going to be left out to fend for himself. And so because he was such a great little companion, I've always sort of advocated people to adopt ever since then.

Reporter: We were sorry to hear about Meatloaf's passing! It is so tough losing four-legged family members.

Josh: Yeah, we still think about him all the time. You know, he was that big of an impact on our family. He was the one everyone just sort of was drawn to when they came into the house, because he was such a little lover... so cute.

So when he passed, we knew that it wasn't going to be long — we didn't even know how old he was when we got him, and he was a little bit slow from the beginning. We just thought he moved slow, but then it progressively got worse and one morning he just never woke up. (pauses briefly) And you know, he left a big mark on our family. So yeah, I would highly recommend anybody who is in the market for a dog to adopt.

 

Reporter: I read a quote somewhere in which you said you and Fergie would like to start raising a human before you adopt another dog. So, now that y'all have welcomed your precious baby boy, do you think a pet adoption is around the corner?

Josh: Yeah, absolutely. We are definitely going to get another one. Um, they are trying to talk me into one today — I already have my eye on one! (laughs) But I don't know, I just can't come home with a dog… I do not know if wife would appreciate that without meeting him first.

And we're still sort of in the craziness of figuring out what to do with our 4-month-old baby boy. He has been a huge addition to the house. But when we get back into a house, we'll probably do it again.

Reporter: Well, speaking of bringing home your new addition, I understand you had the Dog Whisperer, Cesar Millan, out before Axl was born to help Zoe prepare. How has that worked out for you?

Josh: Yeah, we did. It was actually really helpful! Even now we're able to use some of the stuff he taught. Fergs is a huge fan of Dog Whisperer, and she was concerned about how Zoe would acclimate to a baby in the house — whether or not she'd be jealous and would she understand, especially when he starts playing with her toys — and so when he was here, he taught us the basics about how to settle her down.

She gets very excited, especially when there is a ball. When there is a tennis ball around, she freaks out, and all she wants to do is chase it all day long. So it's hard to get her to settle down once she's on it, and he taught us basic things about what's hers and where she can go and where she can't, and how to speak to a dog.

I think a big mistake many people make is speaking like a human to them, when they really just react to your energy. What we learned from him is that there are three different kind of dogs: There are leaders, there are happy-go-lucky and then there are followers or submissives. And Zoe is definitely a submissive, so we learned how to sort of just communicate with her, really. Have you ever met Cesar Millan?

Reporter: No, I wish... my dogs are bad. They need him. I need him!

Josh:  (laughs) You do — he's just one of the coolest dudes. And it's funny because every time there's a doorbell ring, Zoe barks like crazy, goes to the door, greets them and then as soon as you pet her she settles down. Well, he walked in and she did not bark. It is like she felt whatever he did... I do not even know what he did! But she just, like, stopped and looked at him and followed him into the room. There is some expression that he always uses and he did it, and it was kind of amazing because he then immediately had sort of control over her. So we learned a lot from that.

Reporter: It's like that scene in Crocodile Dundee where Mick stares down the water buffalo in the road...

Josh: Yeah, that is pretty much it! He brought three of his dogs with him: He had two Chihuahuas and a pit, and all three of them were the different types I talked about. One was the alpha, like the leader, and it was a little Chihuahua. The submissive was another Chihuahua and the happy-go-lucky was the pit.

And they all had really distinct personalities, and he brought them all in just to sort of show how to communicate with each one of them, 'cause they all communicate differently’. You know, it was one of those moments you don't forget, because it was really amazing how he was able to sort of control any kind of animal. Like Crocodile Dundee.

Reporter: There you have it — he is the Crocodile Dundee of dogs. Well, did you have a lot of pets growing up?

Josh: I never had a pet growing up! Mom never let us have a dog, a cat, anything! I always loved animals, but we just never had one. So Zoe was the first dog that I had, and that is why I said I did not know anything about pet adoption until after I had already purchased Zoe. So I've learned a lot — I think she's 8 years old now — over the last eight years we've had a dog.

Reporter: It sounds like it! So, when it comes to the Pedigree campaign, what should we be doing? Besides watching your documentary shorts?

Josh: The main thing I think that Pedigree would like to do is spread the word about adoption and rescuing, rather than buying from a puppy mill or something. And what I think part of the initiative is that these dogs are healthy. These dogs are good companions. They are not sickly and they do not have behavioral issues or anything like that — they really are good, healthy, loving pets. And that's part of the whole initiative... that they're able to take dogs that aren't necessarily healthy, make them healthy, and make them good companions to take into your house and make them part of the family.

Reporter: Absolutely! OK, you are obviously a busy guy because you've also got a couple of movies in post-production, too. What are we going to see next from you?

Josh: Well, I have a movie called “You're Not You” that we shot last year with Hilary Swank — it's a drama about a couple dealing with Lou Gehrig's disease. He is diagnosed with ALS early in the movie, and you sort of see the progression of how everything just sort of falls apart and they end up coming together. It is a really beautiful story.

The other one is a movie called “Strings”, where I play a guidance counselor with post-traumatic stress and mentor this kid — this troubled kid out of New York — in this little town. It is another really good movie.

And I start one in two weeks in Austin, Texas, called “Lost in the Sun”, where I play kind of a dirtbag who kidnaps his kid when he's on the way to his grandparents house, and they sort of go on a mini-crime spree, I'm afraid. (laughs) So, I'm really looking forward to playing that.

Reporter: And we are looking forward to seeing it! You have a beautiful family and it sounds like you have a beautiful heart, too, so we wish you the best of luck this year. Now, go have some fun by the pool.

Josh: Thank you! (laughs) All right, I will!

 

Interview materials are taken from: http://www.sheknows.com/