EXCLUSIVE: Orlando Bloom’s Tearful Tale of the Shelter Dog Who Stole His Heart First

Orlando Bloom reveals the rescue pup that beat the red carpet for his affection.

By Teoti Anderson, CPDT-KA, KPA-CTP

He adopted Chance from a shelter, a decision that reshaped his home and his outlook. The pup became a constant through the chaos of fame, a grounding presence amid premieres and paparazzi. Bloom has said the love of a rescued animal is unlike anything the industry can offer.

That devotion spilled into spectacle when Bloom helped stage a dog fashion show, turning the spotlight onto rescue pets rather than himself. It was part playfulness, part quiet advocacy—a way to celebrate the animals who ask for nothing but loyalty.

Friends like Lapo in Italy have watched the actor’s pack grow, and the Tuscan countryside has hosted more than a few happy hounds. Whether Weimeraners or mutts, Bloom’s circle of dogs keeps expanding, each one a small rebellion against disposable pet culture.

For an actor accustomed to fantasy worlds, Bloom insists the real magic was the day a shelter dog looked up at him and chose him back. That, he says, is the role he’ll never give up.

Dogs don’t spend their lives plotting to take over ours with dominant behaviour. They’re honest creatures. If a dog loves you, he loves you. If he’s scared or doesn’t like you, he won’t fake it. A dog doesn’t greet you with a wiggly butt and kisses, then trash-talk you the minute you leave. That’s why we love them so—unlike us, their feelings are out in the open.

The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behaviour (AVSAB) states: “Dominance is defined as a relationship between individual animals established by force/aggression and submission, to determine priority access to resources such as food, resting spots, and mates. Most undesirable behaviours in our pets are not about priority access to resources; rather, they come from accidentally rewarding the wrong behaviour.”

For example, if your dog grabs your pizza and bolts under the bed, and you reach in and he growls, that’s him claiming priority access to a resource: pizza. That is dominance. [If he grabs something off-limits and growls when you try to take it, he needs training. Trade for a treat if you must to avoid a bite, but get professional help and teach him to bring you things instead of hoarding them.]

Not dominance? If you always give attention when he jumps on you—even if it’s a scolding—you’re paying him to jump, so he’ll keep doing it until you stop the reward.

Either way, your dog may run the relationship, but instead of worrying about dominance, ask: who is training whom? Where did you set the training bar? If you ask for sit and he lies down, do you treat anyway? If you call him and he eyes you then walks off, do you chase? If you wish he’d stop barking while you fix dinner but feed him to shut him up—who’s training whom?

Dogs aren’t diabolical, but they are opportunists. If he barks and you hand him things, you teach him barking works. If you’re trying to watch a film or catch up on emails and he keeps dropping a slobbery ball in your lap until you finally throw it, you teach him pestering works.

Make sure you only reward behaviour you like. Set rules and keep them. You can lead without being a jerk. If he has habits you dislike, get professional help—and skip trainers who babble about dominance and alpha status. Go ahead, spoil your dog. Just don’t spoil him so rotten he makes all the rules!