Socialite, model, stylist, businesswoman, reality TV star… Kim Kardashian’s resume illustrates both her versatility and her ubiquity in the world of pop culture.
But though her public life is full of drama, cameras, gossip, and scandal, Kim’s private life is full of animals, especially dogs.
And with 74% of pet owners reporting that their furry friends improve their mental health, Kim’s dogs probably provide her with a much-needed respite from her busy celebrity life.
Let’s meet the four-legged members of the Kardashian family — one of them might just become your new favorite!
Kim Kardashian’s Dogs Through the Years
Bella the Maltese
During the early seasons of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, one particularly adorable member of the clan stole viewers’ hearts: Kim’s Maltese puppy named Bella.
Not much is known about Bella herself, but she didn’t remain in the Kardashian family for very long. For undisclosed reasons, Bella went to live with the pastor at the Kardashians’ church.
Rocky the Boxer
In 2007, Kim and her then-partner Reggie Bush decided to take their relationship to a more serious level by adopting a boxer puppy together.
Appropriately, the puppy was christened “Rocky” in an homage to movie boxer Rocky Balboa.
Boxers are known for their high energy, muscular stature, and love of play. They typically require a lot of attention and a variety of physical outlets for their boundless energy.
But Rocky seemed to bilk the boxer stereotype. Kim described him as being a lot like her: cool, calm, and collected, always going with the flow and always down to chill.
The personality match seemed perfect, with Kim writing on her blog that she never thought she could love a dog as much as she loved Rocky.
And despite his name, Rocky definitely preferred the role of lover to that of a fighter.
Kim introduced him to her sister Kourtney’s 6-month-old son, Mason, though Kourtney hadn’t previously allowed dogs around Mason and was nervous about it. But Rocky immediately recognized Mason as another lovable family member and began licking his face affectionately, to the amusement of the rest of the Kardashians.
In 2010, rumors began circulating around Twitter that Kim had killed Rocky. The rumors were deeply upsetting to Kim, who responded that she “would NEVER dare hurt [her] baby Rocky or any other animal!”
When Kim and Reggie broke up in 2010, they decided to split custody of Rocky. Since then, Rocky has been living a private life outside the reach of the paparazzi, reality show cameras, and rumormongers.
Princess the Chihuahua
In 2009, Kim was leaving a nail salon when she spotted a Chihuahua all alone. Thinking that someone must have lost the dog, she searched for the owner, but to no avail.
Rather than resign the dog to life on the streets or in a shelter, Kim decided to adopt her. She named her Princess and bought her some luxurious accessories, including pink toys and beds.
But shortly after the adoption, Kim’s mother suggested that Princess should see a vet for a checkup. Unfortunately, the vet visit revealed that Princess had severe health problems and required emergency surgery on her uterus.
What’s more, the vet said that Princess would require a lifetime of constant care due to her medical conditions. And Kim, with her hectic lifestyle and frequent travel, didn’t think that she would be able to give Princess the care she needed.
“I know that I’ve only had Princess for a really short period of time, but I actually love her,” she said. Nonetheless, she decided to do what was right for the dog and allowed one of the veterinary assistants to adopt Princess.
The experience of finding Princess inspired Kim to begin volunteering at an animal shelter. And Princess’s saga was chronicled in the Keeping Up with the Kardashians episode “Must Love Dogs.”
Sushi the Pomeranian
In 2017, Kim’s daughter North got a big surprise from her parents on her 4th birthday: a beige Pomeranian puppy named Sushi.
And Sushi’s sister, Honey, was also adopted by the Kardashians at the same time, though she went to live with Kim’s niece, Penelope.
Kim and North both fell in love with Sushi right away — a power possessed by many Pomeranians. Their petite size, cloudlike coats, and classic puppy-dog eyes are irresistible to just about anyone.
But in practice, owning Sushi proved to be a little more stressful than expected. Sushi developed a barking problem that began to drive the family crazy — to the point that Kim proposed trading Sushi for Honey!
However, Kim’s sister Kourtney quickly put a stop to that idea, saying, “It’s Penelope’s, not yours.”
And some people speculated that Sushi had more issues than the public knew about. Pomeranians are known to be nippy and intolerant of small children, and rumors circulated that Sushi and young North were not a good match.
For a while, Sushi disappeared from Kim’s social media, leading fans to wonder if the Kardashians had rehomed the pooch — or worse, that Sushi had passed away.
But a few months later, Sushi returned to the public eye, and the whole family seemed much happier.
Kim revealed that she had worked with Cesar Milan, the Dog Whisperer, to resolve Sushi’s barking problem. And if there were any additional problems, they probably waned as both Sushi and North matured.
Sake and Soba/Soy Sauce the Pomeranians
The initial rough experience that Kim had with Sushi wasn’t enough to quell her love of Pomeranians. In 2019, she adopted two more Pomeranian puppies: a white female and a black male.
Kim said that her motivation for getting the puppies came from North, who was now 6 and had been asking for another puppy for some time. At the time, Kim was expecting another baby via a surrogate and reasoned that caring for the puppies would teach North to help care for her new sibling.
As any child would be, North was delighted with the new puppies and wanted to give them names that matched their existing Pomeranian, Sushi. North settled on Sake for the white female, but couldn’t decide between Soba and Soy Sauce for the black male.
Kim took to Instagram to announce the new puppies and get input from fans on name ideas. Comments poured in, but Kim never officially announced the names that were chosen.
Kim Kardashian’s Other Pets
Dogs aren’t the only nonhuman members of Kim’s family. Take a look at some of the other animals she’s adopted over the years.
Mercy the Persian Kitten
In September 2012, when Kim first started dating Kanye West, he surprised her with a cuddly gift: a tiny white Persian kitten.
Kim said that she had always wanted a white Persian, so getting the kitten was a dream come true for her. She initially thought of naming the cat Pearl, but ultimately decided to name her after one of Kanye’s songs: Mercy.
Unfortunately, the joy of a new kitten was quickly replaced by sadness when Kim learned that she was allergic to cats. After finding out that her sister Khloe’s assistant, Sydney, had recently lost her 12-year-old cat, Kim decided to rehome Mercy with her in October 2012.
But more bad news came in November when Sydney’s boyfriend found Mercy limp and immobile on the ground. She was rushed to the vet where she was diagnosed with a cancer-like virus that was destroying her stomach.
The vet said that even the most aggressive treatments available wouldn’t save Mercy’s life. Heartbreakingly, the decision was made to euthanize her and end her suffering.
“It is with deep sadness that I have to tell you all that my kitten, Mercy, has passed away,” Kim blogged. “Mercy was a gentle and loving kitten and we are all going to miss her so much. Thanks to Sydney for making Mercy’s short life one filled with love.”
Speed the Bearded Dragon
In 2021, Kim agreed to babysit her “BFF” Allison’s bearded dragon, Speed, for a week. What she didn’t expect was for her daughter North to fall in love with the lizard — or for Speed to join the family for good.
And though Kim definitely didn’t expect to get attached to Speed herself, that’s exactly what happened. “I really wasn’t planning on liking Speed the way I do,” she said, “but she grew on me!”
Like all of her pets, Kim loves to show Speed off on her social media, often in costume. She has colorful wigs, hats, sunglasses, and even a custom set of lizard-sized loungewear from Kim’s clothing brand SKIMS.
But to the dismay of stylish lizard lovers everywhere, Kim clarified that Speed’s SKIMS is one-of-a-kind and will not be available to the public.
One thing’s for sure: Speed is in loving hands. Kim says that North brings Speed everywhere with her and that they’ve become quite the inseparable duo.
So forget tiny Chihuahuas and pocket-sized poodles. The Kardashians have spoken and bearded dragons are officially in style!
Check out more articles about celebrities’ dogs: How Many Dogs Does RACHAEL RAY Have and Britney Spears and Her DOGS.
