Live stream will be available after this brief ad from our sponsors
ContestsEvents

LISTEN LIVE

Angie Harmon Sues Deliveryman Who Killed Her Dog

Actress Angie Harmon, who is best known for her role in Law & Order, is speaking out for the first time after her family dog was shot and killed by…

Angie Harmon attends Variety's 2022 Power Of Women: New York Event , Angie Harmon Sues Deliveryman Who Killed Her Dog.

Angie Harmon attends Variety’s 2022 Power Of Women: New York Event Presented By Lifetime at The Glasshouse on May 05, 2022 in New York City.

Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Variety

Actress Angie Harmon, who is best known for her role in Law & Order, is speaking out for the first time after her family dog was shot and killed by a delivery driver on Easter.

Following the death of their rescue dog named Oliver, Harmon took to Instagram on April 1, detailing the event. "This Easter weekend a man delivering groceries for #Instacart shot & killed our precious Oliver. He got out of his car, delivered the food & THEN shot our dog."

Max Mara Celebrates Kate Mara - The 2015 Women In Film Max Mara Face Of The Future, Angie Harmon Sues Deliveryman Who Killed Her Dog

(Photo by Michael Buckner/Getty Images for Max Mara)

The mother of three noted that the ring camera was inside the house charging, which the driver took note of. She continued, "The police let him go b/c he claimed 'self defense.' He did not have a scratch or bite on him nor were his pants torn." Apparently, the Instacart driver was also shopping under a woman's name and did not appear to match the name or photo on the Instacart app.

The former Rizzoli and Isles star added that the man told her and her daughters, "'Yeah, I shot your dog. Yeah I did.' We are completely traumatized & beyond devastated at the loss of our beloved boy & family member.'"

Angie Harmon Opens Up About The Shooting

Harmon told Good Morning America in a new interview Wednesday (May 15) how it is "unfathomable" for someone to fire a gun from her family's North Carolina driveway and fatally kill her family's beloved pet. She added, "And you don't ever forget that sound."

The former model recalled that when she and her teenage daughters heard the gunshot, she was screaming at her eldest, Avery, to call 911. "When I said that, [the delivery driver] goes, 'No, I'm calling 911. I'll do it.'"

According to ABC News, the man told the 911 operator that the dog was trying to bite him. He said he tried telling Harmon, “I’m sitting here call ya’ll. I’m texting y’all. I’m saying can you please put the dogs up." A police department spokesperson said at the time that the Instacart driver told officers he was attacked and defended himself "by firing a single gunshot, striking and mortally wounding the dog."

Harmon said in her GMA interview that she didn't see any indications that the delivery driver was physically attacked "at all." The actress added that an autopsy performed on Oliver showed no signs of having bitten or violently attacked anyone. Harmon's daughters said that their beagle mix, Oliver, was never aggressive toward delivery drivers who frequent their residence.

Harmon has since filed a lawsuit against Instacart and the shopper, alleging criminal trespassing and negligence. Meanwhile, Instacart said in a statement, "While we cannot comment on pending litigation, we have no tolerance for violence of any kind, and the shopper account has been permanently deactivated from our platform."

Celebrities Who Have Verified Instagram Accounts For Their Pets

We all know those people who have accounts for their babies or pets. Did you know even Hollywood A-listers take part in that, too? It doesn't matter if you're famous or not -- if someone feels as though they've got some cuteness overload to share, there will be a page dedicated to that.

We must admit, it is kind of charming for grown adults to run pages of cute content from the perspective of their furry friends. Some celebrities' pets have verified Instagram accounts because they have enough followers, while others are still steadily climbing in popularity to gain enough followers to get that coveted blue check-mark.

For example, Paris Hilton has an entire Instagram dedicated to all of her “fur kids,” called Hilton Pets (@hiltonpets). The heiress has more than just dogs, which most people don't know. On her official website, the Simple Life alum has a page dedicated to all the pets she currently has and once had. This includes miniature pigs, ponies, ferrets, monkeys, cats, and bunnies -- oh my! Paris even has a verified TikTok account with the funniest and cutest videos featuring her adorable pets.

Benefits of Having a Pet

Studies have shown that the bond between people and their pets is linked to several health benefits, according to the CDC. Pets can increase opportunities to exercise, get outside, and socialize. Regular walking or playing with pets can decrease blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and triglyceride levels. Pets can help manage loneliness and depression by giving us companionship. When cats purr, they emit a range of 20-140 Hz, which is known to be medically therapeutic for illnesses and lower stress. Most households in the United States have at least one pet.

Keep scrolling to see which celebrities have verified Instagram accounts for their adorable pets.

Paris Hilton

Paris said goodbye to her furry companion, Harajuku Bitch after 23 years in May 2023. In 2015, the heiress said goodbye to her chihuahua Tinkerbell at 14 years old. She was widely recognized accompanying her on the Simple Life. In July of 2023, the socialite added a teacup chihuahua named Prince Tokyo Gizmo Hilton.

Katy Perry

The "Mutt Ball 2019 Champion" was featured in two of Katy's music videos for "Swish Swish" and "Small Talk," becoming her "mascot." Katy added the micro teacup poodle to her furry family in 2016, naming her Nugget, or on Instagram, Miss Nugget Perry. The "TGIF" singer already has a dog named Butters, whom she added to her pet family in 2014. The artist previously owned two cats, one named Kitty Purry, who made a cameo in the "I Kissed a Girl." She passed away in 2020 after 15 years. Perry also owned a cat named Monkey in 2010.

Nina Dobrev

The Vampire Diaries alum adopted a rescue Border Collie/Australian Shepherd mix named Mrs.Maverick in 2017. According to her Instagram bio, Nina adds that her name is "Maverick Do(g)brev." With 419,000 followers, Nina hilariously captions the posts as if her dog is writing them. In this July 17 post, Maverick writes: "has she heard of personal space? @nina"

Mark Hamill

The Star Wars actor has a page dedicated to his 10-year-old rescue, Millie. According to the dog's Instagram bio, she loves food, her humans, naps, and treats. With over 27,000 followers, Mark's other rescues Mabel and Trixie often make cameos on Millie's page. Like the other "pet-run" Instagrams, Millie's captions are from her point of view.

Bobby Flay

Leave it to the celebrity chef to name his pet after a food. However, Bobby's orange Maine Coon, Nacho Flay, is a perfect name for the fluffy cat. With over 270,000 Instagram followers, Nacho even has chef-crafted cat food called Made by Nacho. Bobby has another Maine Coon named Stella. According to Flay, he became a cat person because he was an only child. He considered his family's cats his "siblings" and said on TikTok that he couldn't imagine life without his cats.

Carrie Fisher

Though the Star Wars alum passed away in 2016, the Instagram page of her famous and beloved French bulldog, Gary Fisher, lives on. Most posts are dedicated to his dog mom, Carrie, with heartfelt messages from the 11-year-old dog. Carrie adopted the dog from her daughter, Billie Lourd, to help manage her bipolar disorder. Since Carrie's passing, her former assistant Corby McCoin took him in.

Andy Cohen

The television talk show host adopted this adorable beagle-foxhound mix from a kill shelter in West Virginia. However, in May 2020, Cohen announced that he would be sending his rescue dog of nearly seven years to another home due to "random signs of aggression" that he had tried to address. Wacha was re-homed permanently with his "second family" that would watch him when Cohen was out of town.

Justin Bieber

Justin and his wife Hailey adopted a Maltese Yorkie named Oscar in 2018, a few months after they got married. On Instagram, they gave him a too-adorable Instagram nickname: "Oskie the Poskie." In November 2022, the couple announced they adopted a dog named Piggy Lou as Oscar's baby sister. The "Baby" singer owned several exotic pets, too. He had two Savannah cats named Sushi and Tuna and a capuchin monkey named OG Mally.

Mark Wahlberg

Wahlberg has four dogs: a Pomsky (Pomeranian-Husky mix) named Jojo, a "stinky" Boston Terrier named Lola, newest-addition Pomsky puppy named Penny, and a Pomeranian named Champ. Champ is the only verified pooch, with over 85,000 Instagram followers. Wahlberg surprised his wife and kids with Champ in 2019, recalling that his wife was mad he didn't consult her with choosing the dog. She even said "I hate those little furry dogs," when she found out his breed, but quickly had a change of heart once she met Champ.

Laila Abuelhawa is the Top 40 and Hip-Hop pop culture writer for Beasley Media Group. Being with the company for over three years, Laila's fierce and fabulous red-carpet rankings have earned her a feature on 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert!' Her favorite stories are those surrounding the latest in celebrity fashion, television and film rankings, and how the world reacts to major celebrity news. With a background in journalism, Laila's stories ensure accuracy and offer background information on stars that you wouldn't have otherwise known. She prides herself in covering stories that inform the public about what is currently happening and what is to come in the ever-changing, ever-evolving media landscape.

Sign up for our newsletter

Get the latest music news, Augusta events, exclusive contests and more delivered right to your inbox!