When Josh Hutcherson was 18, he fell in love with a pit bull puppy named Driver. The actor adopted the pittie from the nonprofit Angel City Pit Bulls and within a year, started acting in the first “Hunger Games” movie.
Driver, now 13, has been a constant companion as Hutcherson’s career exploded.
“It’s crazy going through so much of life together,” Hutcherson, 32, said. “Since the day I met Driver, he was just the most happy, open, joyful, deep soul of a dog. He’s just the absolute best. His eyes are just pools of knowledge that I’m trying to gleam something from.”
Because Driver has always been friendly with other dogs, Hutcherson adopted another pittie named Manchi four years ago. Within a week the dogs were cuddling and became best friends.
“Somebody was fostering Manchi’s whole litter because the litter got abandoned and they all had pneumonia and some didn’t make it. I wanted to take them all, but I chose Manchi because he was the littlest runt and weirdest. I was like, ‘This guy’s got a good vibe,’” he said. “Manchi is this very odd, kind of shy, but so sweet and loving boy. He has a 1,000-yard stare, which I absolutely love. Sometimes I’ll just sit by the fireplace, and we’ll just make eye contact and not look away for minutes on end.”
Helping Clear The Shelters
With his love of shelter dogs, Hutcherson felt it was a “dream scenario” to partner with Hill’s Pet Nutrition to visit adoptable pets yesterday at Pasadena Humane — the nonprofit shelter that took in over 1,500 pets displaced by January’s Southern California wildfires — as part of NBCUniversal Local’s Clear The Shelters campaign. Clear The Shelters aims to increase shelter adoptions and donations throughout August.
“The reason why I wanted to be a part of this campaign is there are so many amazing dogs and cats and critters at shelters all over the country that need homes,” he said. “I know from my experience, I’m two for two and they’re even better than I could ever have dreamt.”
He loved meeting “every single” dog and cat at Pasadena Humane. He bonded with a pit bull mix named Lula with “ice blue eyes and great energy” and a possible Rottweiler mix named Finn.
Big dogs linger longer than smaller dogs or cats in shelters — they stay nearly twice as long as they did in 2019 — and only 25% of people surveyed in the 2025 Hill’s State of Shelter Pet Adoption Report said they will likely adopt a dog weighing over 55 pounds in the future.
“I think some people feel like if they don’t have a big house, they can’t have a big dog, and that’s just oftentimes not the case,” he said. “I know Great Danes, one of the largest breeds, don’t actually need a lot of space. They’re happy in small apartments.”
His own big dogs get a walk every day but then are content lounging around and following him from room to room.
“They won’t leave my side,” he said. “I think big dogs are amazing. I’ve always had big dogs, from boxers to Labs to pit mixes, and every dog I’ve had has been 50-plus pounds and I just love them. There’s something about their big bodies that when you’re cuddling them, it’s just this massive animal that you have this bond with that’s so incredible.”
Josh Hutcherson’s Feline Connection
Visiting Pasadena Humane also reminded Hutcherson of his love for cats. He grew up with cats named Paws, Walter Aloysuis Zimmerfloss the Third, and Jell-O.
“Jell-O was a big old girl,” he said with a grin. “Her name was very appropriate.”
At Pasadena Humane, he loved meeting kittens as well as a cat named Catnip with no boundaries.
“As soon as I held Catnip, she crawled up on my shoulder and perched on top of my shoulders. It was the cutest thing,” he said. “It was great to reconnect with my feline side.”
A History With Animals On And Off The Screen
In addition to personal pets, Hutcherson enjoyed bonding with the canine actors on the set of “Miracle Dogs,” his first movie, which he starred in as a 9-year-old.
“My entire life, every time I’m around dogs just makes me more in love with dogs. I’ve worked with dogs multiple times and they’re so impressive. A trained movie dog is wildly impressive,” he said. “My favorite things in the world: making movies and dogs. They should make more movies with adults and dogs, not just kids and dogs. I’m going to push for that genre.”
Some of his favorite canine characters include Baxter in “Anchorman” — “That was a top-notch performance” — and the dog who starred in “The Artist.”
“There are some great dog actors out there,” he said.
Though Hutcherson believes his own dogs aren’t cut out for the big screen, other shelter dogs are. Recently a shelter dog named Sparrow stole hearts with a cameo in “Superman,” and Krypto the Superdog is based on the director’s rescue dog, Ozu.
As part of Clear The Shelters, potential adopters can search by ZIP code for nearby shelter pets at WeRescue.pet, with filters for breed, size, gender and other preferences.
People who aren’t ready to permanently adopt a furry family member can consider fostering, volunteering or donating to help shelters nationwide, Hutcherson noted.
“If you can’t adopt or you want to see how it feels, fostering is a great step,” he said. “There’s a lot of things you can do to be a part of the movement of giving some love to these animals.”
