Practice makes perfect! Katherine Schwarzenegger adopted her dog, Maverick, straight out of college and says having a pet can be the perfect way to prepare for parenthood.
“[Adopting] was definitely a learning curve of just the change in how you go about your day and how you live your life,” the “Dog That Changed Me” sponsored by PEDIGREE podcast host, 29, told Us Weekly exclusively on Tuesday, May 14. “You always need to think about, you know, your dog’s needs over your needs. And it’s not all about you.”
The Rock What You’ve Got author added: “I always tell all my girlfriends … ‘You should get a dog before you decide to have children because it’s, like, a great buffer into what that might look like.’ Obviously, having kids is way more of a responsibility, but you really get that little bit of insight into changing the way that you go about your day, putting the needs of your animal first.”
Chris Pratt’s fiancèe isn’t raising her dog alone, though. The California native gets help from her sister, Christina Schwarzenegger, who sometimes takes Maverick for sleepovers. Katherine plans to keep accepting help when she has kids, as well.
“It’s all about having a great support system and family and community,” she told Us. “It takes a village to raise kids, and it takes a village also to have a dog and have that responsibility in your life.”
Katherine and the Guardians of the Galaxy star, 39, started seeing each other in summer 2018, and he proposed in January.
“Sweet Katherine, so happy you said yes!,” Pratt wrote on Instagram at the time. “I’m thrilled to be marrying you. Proud to live boldly in faith with you. Here we go!”
The actor shares 6-year-old son, Jack, with his ex-wife, Anna Faris.
The first five episodes of “The Dog That Changed Me” are available to stream now on Spotify, iTunes and Stitcher, and the remaining four will be released on Monday, May 20.
With reporting by Taylor Ferber
