EXCLUSIVE: Martha Stewart’s Tearful Tale of the Shelter Dog Who Domesticated Her

Martha Stewart reveals the rescue pups that softened her ironclad image.

By Teoti Anderson, CPDT-KA, KPA-CTP

She adopted Indo, a dog who became the template for every canine companion that followed. Stewart has said the pup taught her a kind of loyalty no business deal could mirror.

Then came Chupchik, a Shar Pei she met and couldn’t leave behind. The breed’s rumpled charm matched her own exacting yet affectionate nature, and the dog earned a permanent seat at the table.

She brought Chupchik home in 2011 after a modest $25 beginning, and the pack kept growing—Genghis, Stras, Bete Noir, and Frances among them by 2014. Stewart turned her estate into a canine kingdom, each rescue a small rebellion against disposable culture.

The love even shaped a dog-friendly café vision, where her taste for hospitality met her soft spot for animals. It’s Martha being Martha: turning devotion into something curated and shared.

Her quiet message: adopt, don’t overlook the shelter. The dogs, she insists, didn’t just decorate her world—they domesticated the domestic queen herself, and she’s never been more at peace.

Deep down, if you’re honest with yourself, isn’t this a bit flattering? Hard to admit, but most people get a small kick when their dog ‘defends’ them like this. Even a tiny Maltese draws a chuckle with her fierce devotion—so much love she’d name herself your bodyguard. That’s part of the trouble. You like it. And your dog knows it. Dogs read us keenly, and if you’re pleased, you’re rewarding the behaviour—she can feel you’re happy with what she did.

So one of the first moves is to stop looking so flattered when it happens. Show her it doesn’t make you happy. If she’s on the couch and snaps at someone near you, make her get off at once. If she growls on the bed, she loses bed rights.

That usually isn’t enough to fix it. You’ll need counter conditioning too—teaching her that people near you are good, not something to fear or resent.

Set up training scenarios. Every time your partner hugs you, treat her. Every time a friend hugs you, treat her. Every time the delivery arrives at the door, treat her. She’ll start linking people near you with tasty treats, not alarms.

When you can’t predict a visitor and their arrival sets her off barking, you can still be ready. Keep treats by the door. Before letting them in, leash her if she’d also bark and lunge. Tether her to sturdy furniture, or—if the layout allows—put her behind a baby gate. Take your time and set her up to win; your guest can wait a minute. When she looks at the guest, toss a treat. With time, she’ll expect guests to mean treats, and the barking eases. When you simply can’t use arrivals to train, just put her out of sight—a bedroom or crate with a stuffed toy. That manages, not fixes, but it’s better than practising bad behaviour.

Bear in mind, the longer she’s practised barking at whoever approaches you, the longer it may take to undo. If it’s new, fix it now before it worsens. Often the dog practises for ages until something forces the issue—maybe she finally bites someone, or you were single and now have a special someone and realize she must learn to share.

It’s hard to see we’re the cause of our dog’s problem, but there’s power in that too. If the problem is you, you can fix it! Let your dog be a loving companion, not an alarm waiting to launch. Everyone in your life will thank you for sharing.

Could Your Dog's Barking Be Fear-Driven?

Does she growl, lunge, and bark at people or dogs? Often owners think she’s guarding them, when she isn’t. Much aggression is fear-based. A frightened dog often takes ‘best defense is a good offense,’ making himself scary and loud so whatever scares him leaves. In that case she isn’t guarding you at all—she’s guarding herself.

How to tell? Does it happen when you’re not near? If she’s alone and sees another person or dog, does she still go ballistic? Then your guard dog is protecting himself, not you. Work with a reward-based pro trainer to show him he’s safe and you’ve got him—no need for out-of-control barking.

Teoti Anderson, CPDT-KA, KPA-CTP, is a professional dog trainer and author of The Dog Behavior Problem Solver, Ultimate Guide to Dog Training, Puppy Care and Training, and more. She hosts the Get Pawsitive Results radio show on Pet Life Radio and teaches owners and trainers about canine behaviour through webinars and workshops.