Alicia Silverstone Helps Save Pregnant Dog and Her Puppies Before Scheduled Euthanasia: ‘Adopt, It’s the Best Thing You Could Ever Do’
- - Alicia Silverstone Helps Save Pregnant Dog and Her Puppies Before Scheduled Euthanasia: ‘Adopt, It’s the Best Thing You Could Ever Do’
Charna FlamFebruary 3, 2026 at 3:36 AM
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Alicia Silverstone
Helen Woodward Animal Center; Taylor Hill/FilmMagic
Alicia Silverstone saw that a 3-year-old pregnant terrier mix was going to be euthanized because a San Bernardino, Calif., animal control facility was overcrowded
She then called Helen Woodward Animal Center in San Diego, Calif., to ask for help to save the dog
The animal center promptly picked up the dog and her new puppies, all of whom will be available for adoption in mid-February
Alicia Silverstone helped save a pregnant dog and her puppies from being euthanized.
In mid-December, the Clueless star saved a 3-year-old pregnant terrier mix, initially named Kenya and later renamed Noel, from her sad fate. Noel was first taken to the animal control facility after she attempted to take shelter at a roadside motel in San Bernardino, Calif.
A person at the motel took her in and called animal control, which attempted to take her into its care. But the animal control facility was overcrowded, and Noel had a scheduled euthanasia appointment posted on Facebook. Silverstone then saw the post announcing that Noel would be euthanized less than 24 hours later.
Noel and her puppies
Helen Woodward Animal Center
“I saw this particular dog, Noel, that was at the shelter, and due to overcrowding and whatnot, you know, there’s so many dogs killed at the shelter every single day,” Silverstone, 49, said, Fox 5 reports. “And her face was just so beautiful and lovely.”
The actress then thought to herself that she would call Helen Woodward Animal Center CEO and president, Mike Arms, and ask for his assistance. (Silverstone previously worked with Arms and Helen Woodward Animal Center for their annual “Remember Me Thursday.”)
After Silverstone’s call, the staff at the San Diego, Calif., rescue center traveled approximately 100 miles to San Bernardino to rescue the dog.
Noel and her puppies
Helen Woodward Animal Center
Within minutes of their arrival, Noel gave birth to her puppies, which Helen Woodward Animal Center Adoption Services Director Kendall Schulz called the “most incredible part of this story.”
“The San Bernardino shelter thought we were too. They [Woodward staff] literally said, ‘We’ll go get her,’ and came back to say, ‘We can’t believe this! She had her puppies!” Schulz said in the facility's news release.
Noel gave birth to 14 puppies, two of which tragically passed away. The surviving 12 were named after the 12 Days of Christmas: Drummer, Piper, Lord, Lady, Maid, Swan Goose, Ring, Calling Bird, French Hen, Turtle Dove, and Partridge.
“So she had her babies, like the day they were going to kill her, she happened to have her babies, which is kinda crazy,” Silverstone explained, according to Fox 5. “They’re so cute. And my son and I were just in a puppy pile with them.”
Over a month later, on Jan. 31, Silverstone and her son Bear, 14, went to meet Noel and her puppies — as well as the center’s chickens, goats, and an orange 19-pound tabby cat.
Silverstone and Bear took four of the puppies—Drummer, Piper, Swan and Partridge—to foster at her Los Angeles home before they are available for adoption in mid-February, the center confirmed with PEOPLE.
“I’m so happy to be here today at Helen Woodward Animal Center. I’ve never seen a place like this. It’s so beautiful, and the people who work here are so kind and loving,” Silverstone said, according to Fox 5. “This is a dream.”
She then urged people that “the best thing you could ever do” is to adopt. “If people spay and neuter, stop going to breeders, stop going to pet stores, and just rescue. You can have the cutest little faces from a rescue; you don’t need to spend the crazy money at the breeder or the pet store.”
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The center’s PR and Communications Director, Jessica Gercke, told PEOPLE how grateful they are to have Silverstone as an advocate for the animals they rescue.
“We have been fortunate to meet some amazing and dazzlingly famous people at the Center but very rarely to do we meet one whose heart so sincerely belongs to the animals,” Gercke said. “Alicia Silverstone is one of those rare people who truly wants to help and make a difference.”
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
