Christmas just came very, very early for Sir Patrick Stewart – and the Twittersphere – who are sharing his joy over welcoming a new dog into his home.
The legendary actor shared a video to Twitter of the moment he met his new foster Pitbull, Ginger, and it’s all kinds of adorable.
Stewart waited at his front door with childlike glee as he watched Ginger walk up the driveway and into her new home with her foster parents.
Ginger quickly warmed to Stewart and showered his iconic bald head with dog kisses, apparently settling into family life and snoring on the sofa in no time at all.
The 76-year-old Logan star shared the video to thank the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) and Wags and Walks, who helped Stewart and his wife, Sunny, foster Ginger.
Stewart is the latest famous face to support the movement Adopt Don’t Shop, which encourages people to take care of animals without a home rather than feed into the ever excessive breeding enterprise.
Things hit peak endearing when Stewart introduced Ginger to the family pool, laughing and giggling as they frolicked together.
On Conan, Stewart told Ginger’s story, saying:
She comes from a Pitbull fighting ring. She was a breeder. They’re all over the country. Every state has one and they’re very hurtful and the dogs get harmed.
Now she’s with us but we are only fostering her. We are looking for a permanent home for her.
Unfortunately, some observers on Twitter were all too happy to rain on Ginger and Patrick’s parade, dredging up tired old debates about Pitbull’s allegedly poor temperament.
Happily, responsible Pitbull owners were quick to share pictures of their pups too, in solidarity with Stewart and Sunny:
The collective happiness is almost too much for my meagre human heart to fathom.
Move aside, Sir Ian McKellen, this man has a new best friend.
A former emo kid who talks too much about 8Chan meme culture, the Kardashian Klan, and how her smartphone is probably killing her. Francesca is a Cardiff University Journalism Masters grad who has done words for BBC, ELLE, The Debrief, DAZED, an art magazine you’ve never heard of and a feminist zine which never went to print.