Dylan Efron admits there’s one type of dog that always hits him right in the heart — shepherds. While discussing his rescue dog Booey, the Dancing with the Stars competitor, 33, revealed the breed he feels the strongest connection to.
“Booey’s a German shepherd mutt, but I grew up with Australian shepherds, which I’ll always have a soft spot for,” he says.
He adds that seeing Australian shepherds often brings back memories of the dog he had growing up. “It’s just hard for me because they look so similar, and I think of my old dog. It makes me cry when I look at them. So yeah, I don’t know, I guess shepherds in general.”
Efron, who partnered with Banfield Pet Hospital to highlight National Senior Pet and Adopt-A-Senior-Pet Month, shared how Booey joined his family in 2021.
At the time, he was searching for a puppy. He had just wrapped season 2 of Down to Earth with his brother Zac Efron when he started looking for a pet. But a dog trainer he met on a film set encouraged him to consider an older dog instead.
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“I showed him some of the dogs I was looking at, and he’s like, ‘No, you’re looking in the wrong age range,’” Dylan recalls. “If you rescue an older dog, you’re getting a companion for life. They will listen to every word you say. Those are the best trained dogs.”
After that conversation, everything shifted. “I went from looking for puppies to looking at shelters, and I found Booey,” he says.
He describes why adopting from a shelter is so meaningful. “They know what loss is and they really just want a home,” he explains. “They have so much compassion and loyalty to give.”
Dylan acknowledges that most people get dogs because they want companionship — and that’s okay. “Ultimately it’s a selfish decision to want a dog,” he says. “You obviously want a dog to make your life better, but the fact that you can also save a dog’s life and turn it around and give them a home is an incredibly rewarding feeling.”
Reflecting on Booey’s impact, he doesn’t hold back on gratitude. “Booey’s made my life so much better,” he says. “It breaks my heart looking back at the videos of Booey in the shelter and how far he’s come. Dogs make your life better; it’s just a fact.”
