Drew Barrymore Honored At Annual ASPCA Ball

Drew Barrymore posed on the red carpet at the 19th Annual ASPCA Bergh Ball at The Plaza Hotel
with her dog in her arms.

Drew Barrymore’s Dog

After posing for pictures at the ASPCA’s 19th Annual Bergh Ball with her pup Douglass, Barrymore went inside to receive the Humanitarian Award, which was presented to her by Martha Stewart. During her acceptance speech, Barrymore eschewed prepared notes to speak from the heart about the profound impact animals have had on her life.

“I feel very humbled by this award,” Barrymore told the crowd. “I was 19 when I started adopting dogs. I moved out on my own when I was 14. […] I waited almost a year. It was the early ’90s. I circled the paper and called people and went to shelters. Finally, I knew I wanted – much like my own children – I knew that they should have a friend. If there was one thing that was really tough growing up – no parents, boo hoo – I wanted my children to have someone to share the whole thing with.”

Barrymore added, “I don’t care if we were beating the crap out of each other. I just want someone different to disagree with. I just want that unspoken, amazing bond, much like you have with animals. So I was determined that I would get two dogs at the same time. I never make it easy on myself. God forbid I start with one pet. I was like, I want two.”

Barrymore went on to have one of those dogs, Flossie, for 16 years. She recounts the devastating loss in her new book Wildflower, and admitted during her speech Thursday night that it was hard for her to write the chapter through the tears. Though she still misses Flossie, Barrymore did eventually adopt a new dog, the part-Chihuahua Douglass.

“Currently, I have a small dog named Douglass. I remember taking him out of the pound when he was 8 weeks old. He had been left in a box on the side of the road. He was very shaken up and he looked like a Chihuahua. And I said, what am I doing? Adopt that Chihuahua. I love you, but I’ve been a big dog girl my whole life. And I didn’t know what I was doing, I just felt empathy for this dog. I loved him so much that I took him home.”

On Instagram, Barrymore thanked the ASPCA for her award, and expressed how she believes that animals help to shape us.

“Thank you to @aspca for this amazing award. As a dog rescuer for over 22 years, I applaud the work you do and am humbled and grateful to be in your company,” she wrote. “Animals will teach us kindness and a world where we are all good to each other, is the world I wish to live in.”