Beth O. Stern has appeared on four WHIRL covers.
Beth Ostrosky Stern pens a helpful go-to guide for dog care.
Pittsburgh-born Beth Ostrosky Stern, wife of self-professed King of All Media shock jock Howard Stern, knows a thing or two about taming wild creatures. A long-time animal lover and spokesperson for the North Shore Animal League America, she’s now bringing her knowledge of pet care to her first book, Oh My Dog.
The couple have cared for their own iconic pet, Bianca Romijin Stamos O’Connell, an English Bulldog, for seven years. At the beginning of their relationship, they often spent time at dog parks in New York City. “We were both just mesmerized with and in love with the English Bulldog breed … we would chase them down in the street … and so we decided to research a breeder,” Stern says.
After taking almost a year to find the right dog breeder, they went to visit the pregnant dog who would be giving birth to their future puppy. “Howard and I were sitting there, and this one bulldog in particular that was at the breeder’s house walked over to Howard and then walked over to me, and back to Howard, and gave him a kiss, and then gave me a kiss,” Beth says. “I said to the breeder, ‘Wow, I wish that my unborn puppy will have this disposition; this one’s just about perfect.’ The breeder said, ‘That one was one of my top show puppies until she developed a wiggle in her walk, so she’s of no use to me anymore. If you want her, you can have her.’”
The dog’s name was “Reba,” but on the car ride home, the couple changed her name to “Bianca.”
As Bianca grew, Beth had many questions about her care and nutrition, and she would routinely turn to her circle of animal experts, which include celebrities such as Oprah’s dog trainer, Tamar Geller, and puppy-loving celebrity chef Rachael Ray. Beth finally decided to compile the answers to all of her questions and her advice from her experts in a book: Bianca shares the cover with her “mom” on Oh My Dog: How to Choose, Train, Groom, Nurture, Feed, and Care for Your New Best Friend. Author Kristina Grish co-wrote the book with Stern, and those expecting a lightweight book should prepare to be surprised.
“When I was on the Today Show, Matt Lauer said right away, ‘I think everyone was expecting a celebrity pet book.’ But I had to chuckle because I think I knew that, and here I am, a celebrity wife writing a book! But I couldn’t wait for it to come out because I think it pretty much speaks for itself. It’s a 500-page reference book for dog owners,” Stern says.
With Bianca, Stern says she would often turn to the Internet to find answers to her questions, “but I soon learned it was filled with not only misinformation, but too much information; I would have 50 different answers for questions. So, through my research, I realized that I have experts in my world, and I would get the right answer eventually by going to them,” she says. “I thought, why don’t I gather all of the questions people have asked me along the way and have these great experts in my life contribute.” Stern considers herself the “host” of the guide.
The book is organized chronologically and provides guidance on how to choose a dog, all the way to training it and caring for it, to considering its end-of-life requirements. She goes in-depth on how to choose a dog that’s right for your lifestyle and temperament. She offers us an example: “An English Bulldog — that’s an easy one for me — likes to sit around all day. Howard and I have very demanding work schedules, and bulldogs are bred to be companions, so Bianca doesn’t require long walks in the park. I’ll walk halfway down the block with her. And she just hangs out and watches television all day.” For a big family with a big yard and people who are active, she recommends a Labrador, Golden Retriever, or just “a big old mutt,” she says. Families would do well with “a bigger, sturdier-type dog.”
The Stern family is growing, too: They just adopted Apple, a tabby cat, from the NSALA. “We asked for a worst-case scenario,” Stern says. The cat has a skin condition that makes her bald on about three-quarters of her body. “She’s heartbreaking, and someone had dumped her off in a box in the middle of the night.” To successfully introduce Bianca and Apple, the Sterns used a space at the NSALA where families can bring their old pets to interact with new ones. “Apple was in her little cage, and Bianca came right in and went over to the cage and smelled her, and when we opened the door, Apple came out and swatted Bianca in the head. It was so cute; Bianca just took it like a champ, and they got over it in about five minutes,” Stern says. “Literally, whenever they’re together, they’re about a foot away from each other.”
Could a book about cats be next?
“You know, everybody’s asking me that,” Stern says. “I’ve learned so much about dogs, and I’ve changed my dog’s diet in the process. Why not do it for my cat as well; I love her just as much. I think my next venture is going to have to be doing all of this research for cats. Maybe Oh My Cat will be in the works!”
To purchase Oh My Dog, visit Betho.com.
Beth’s favorite new product:
“Through my research with my book, I realized that brushing your dog’s teeth is not an option, it’s a necessity. I know how messy it could be sometimes, so I invented a dental pen called Pawfect Smile, with a brush on one end. You click the other end of the pen to release the toothpaste, which comes in either Vanilla or Peanut Butter. Bianca likes the Peanut Butter. Brushing Bianca’s teeth is prolonging her life, too, because periodontal disease can be damaging their hearts and vital organs and cause harm.”
pawfectsmile.com.
Beth stars as a judge on ABC-TV’s True Beauty
The second season of ABC-TV’s True Beauty is in full swing, and Stern stars as a judge with Carson Kressley and host Vanessa Minnillo. The show takes a group of people who think that they’re competing in a beauty contest, but it’s actually about finding the person who has the most “true beauty” on the inside. “It’s a pretty entertaining season with a crazy group of people,” Stern says. “By the end of the first week of filming, a lot of the people you thought were beautiful at the beginning just turned out to be so ugly because of their inner ugliness.”
What defines “true beauty” for Stern?
“True beauty is inner beauty: Being kind, being a cheerleader for other people, being a good friend, a good listener, and just doing the right thing.”
ABC-TV’s True Beauty airs at 10 p.m. on Mondays. abc.go.com.
