Paul O’Grady’s dogs: how many pets did TV presenter and animal-lover have before he died, aged 67?

Paul O’Grady, a TV personality and comedian who rose to prominence through his Lily Savage drag queen persona, died on Tuesday (28 March), aged 67. The star was well known as an animal lover, and he had a particular soft spot for dogs.

His last major TV role was as a presenter on the latest season of For the Love of Dogs, where he follows the work of the charity Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, for whom he was an ambassador, and meets some of the fluffy residents.

Paul even went as far as to add a clause into his contract for the show that stipulated that he could not take any dogs home from Battersea during filming - although he ended up breaching that clause when he met another dog that he couldn't leave behind.

As well as working alongside animals, Paul had several pets himself and for at least the last 20 years of his life, he always had owned at least one dog.

How many dogs did Paul O’Grady have?

At the time of his death, Paul O’Grady and his husband Andre Portasio lived together with five dogs at their home in Kent. The dogs are Nancy, a Jack Russell, Arfur, a Jack Russell-Papillon cross, Conchita, a Maltese, Eddie, a Chihuahua-Jack Russell cross, and Sausage, a Dachshund.

Paul had previously fostered an American Bulldog, Tulip, but had to return her to the rescue centre because she did not get on with his other dogs and her outbursts caused them stress. Tulip has since been rehomed.

Nancy was the latest arrival to the O’Grady home - he brought the dog home from Battersea Dogs and Cats Home during the Covid pandemic. Paul moved in with his husband, who he married in 2017, at the start of the pandemic so that the pair could isolate together with their pets.

One of Paul’s best-known pets was Buster, a Shih Tzu Bichon Frise cross, who was a regular companion on his leading late night programme The Paul O'Grady Show. Buster suffered from cancer and was put down by vets in 2009 - Paul dedicated the second volume of his of autobiography to him. 

Olga, a Cairn Terrier cross, another of Paul’s dogs who appeared alongside him on The Paul O’Grady Show had cancer in 2014 - Paul paid thousands for veternary chemotherapy treatment and Olga lived until 2018 when she was put down in Paul’s garden.

Two of Paul’s dogs died a year apart - Bullseye who had epilepsy, died on his way to the vet after suffering a major seizure in 2019, and Boycie, a Bischon/ShiTzu died in April 2020. 

Speaking of Bullseye’s death on BBC Radio 2, Paul said: “Invite an animal into your life, inevitably you invite heartache. But then why contemplate the hangover when you’re at the party?”

Did Paul O’Grady have any other pets?

Yes, Paul also has a small animal farm at his property - there he has animals including pigs, sheep, chickens, goats, alpacas and owls.