When my rescue dog Moe saw the picture of Diane Keaton kissing her golden retriever Reggie on the lips -something he knows so well with me- my sweet Labrador retriever nudged me to do a special post on Diane Keaton, the dog lover, I agreed wholeheartedly.

One look at her with her dogs, and my heart melts.

photograph Dewey Nicks

Like me, Diane Keaton was a devoted dog Mom and giddily in love with them.

“Dogs are irresistible,” she said.

Her love for dogs was pure, timeless, and unconditional. Just like theirs.

Her last post on Instagram wasn’t on the red carpet or getting a glamorous award. It was her kissing her dog.

It was for National Pet Day on April 11 and featured her beloved golden retriever Reggie, a rescue dog. An avid dog lover, she welcomed Reggie into her life in 2020. This sweet dog was a gift from a friend when Diane became an empty nester, feeling lonely.

Reggie was found abandoned in a San Francisco park on a cold, rainy day by a good Samaritan. The person who found him brought him to Animal Care and Control in San Francisco, and he was then transferred to Muttville, a senior dog rescue organization.

Keaton was known as an animal lover and a big supporter of pet adoption. It did not surprise me in the least when I learned that she once spent several hours trying to help rescue a stray dog on Sunset Boulevard with a stranger she had just met.

Her love for animals goes way back to her childhood, when various members of her family would bring strays home. The desire to rescue animals stayed with her throughout the years.

As a member of the board of the Helen Woodward Animal Shelter in Rancho Santa Fe CA. she became a spokesperson for their Home 4 the Holidays program and spoke tirelessly on behalf of all the animals sitting in shelters and needing homes, encouraging people to adopt during the holiday season rather than buying from a puppy mill or pet store.

Something tells me she would have brought all the dogs home with her if she could.

Modest about her role with the HWAC, she expressed thanks for what animals have brought to her life: “Animals bring you a sense of wonder.”

Most importantly, she learned from dogs.

“It came to me that every time I lose a dog, they take a piece of my heart with them and every new dog who comes into my life gifts me with a piece of their heart. If I live long enough, all the components of my heart will be dog and I will become as generous and loving as they are.”

Diane Keaton got her wish and had a heart as loving as a dog’s.

There is so much to love about Diane Keaton.

© Sally Edelstein and Envisioning The American Dream, 2025. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Sally Edelstein and Envisioning The American Dream