The Talk is back from its summer break, so now is a great time to get to know the three hosts of the CBS daytime talk show who are also judges for World’s Cutest Rescue Dog Contest Presented by the PEDIGREE® Brand.
Akbar Gbajabiamila, Natalie Morales, and Jerry O’Connell are all hosts of The Talk together. They also all have rescue dogs, which made them perfect judges for the World’s Cutest Rescue Dog Contest.
The contest started this summer, and a lot of cute dogs who had been rescued sent in entries in hopes of being named the cutest rescue dog.
We picked 10 furry finalists from all of these great entries. Animal lovers can now vote once a day until September 28 at people.com/rescuedogcontest for their favorite dog in the Top 10.
When voting is over, the three dogs with the most votes will go on to the next round, where they will be judged.
The top three dogs will be judged by Akbar Gbajabiamila, Natalie Morales, and Jerry O’Connell, along with judges from us and the PEDIGREE® brand.
On Oct. 12, the winner of the World’s Cutest Rescue Dog Contest for 2022 will be named.
Akbar Gbajabiamila, Natalie Morales, and Jerry O’Connell all have cute rescue dogs that will help them judge the contest.
Learn about the hosts and their dogs below before a winner is chosen for the World’s Cutest Rescue Dog Contest.
Gbajabiamila is a former NFL player who also hosts NBC’s competition shows American Ninja Warrior and American Ninja Warrior Junior.
He has two dogs. His dog Yuri came from Wags and Walks, a place in Los Angeles where people can adopt pets. Gbajabiamila said that when he met Yuri, they hit it off right away.
Yuri is the newest member of Gbajabiamila’s family, which also includes his wife and four kids. He has fit right in.
“We wanted to add to our family, and adopting a dog in need was the best way to do it, so we really helped each other. The whole family really needed Yuri’s help to get through the pandemic “Gbajabiamila said about his rescue dog.
Morales has two rescue dogs named Zara and Obi. She said she fell in love with both of them at first sight.
“Zara and I met when she was on Today to talk about traveling with pets. She was from Long Island’s North Shore Animal League.
Zara looked right at me when we met and put her paw out to greet me. She didn’t bark or beg, she just looked me in the eyes, and I knew.” When Morales met Zara, he said.
“I had a dog my whole life and knew how important it was for me to have a best friend and constant companion, so we decided to adopt Zara,” Morales said. “She’s my little best friend.”
After Morales moved to California, Obi joined Zara. Morales has called Obi “Mr. Personality.”
“He was on Access’s Puppy Bowl segment, and his cute little face and freckles made me fall in love with him. He is a typical Los Angeles mutt.
I did his dog’s DNA, and it wasn’t a surprise to find out that he is part Chihuahua, terrier, poodle, spaniel, and other breeds. His sharp bark and protective nature already told us that “Morales said that Obi was a great addition to her family.
O’Connell said he wasn’t sure if he wanted a pet until his wife, Rebecca Romijn, saw a dog named Phil on PetFinder.com while they were driving. No matter what, the couple went to the shelter and adopted Phil that same day.
Now, O’Connell is happy that they made that choice because it didn’t take him long to fall in love with Phil. Now, the dog and the host of The Talk are best friends.
Visit people.com/rescuedogcontest to find out more about the judges of the World’s Cutest Rescue Dog Contest Presented by the PEDIGREE® Brand and to vote for your favorite finalist.
The Talk, which airs weekdays on CBS, is where you can see the famous people who are judging the contest.