Skip to main content

Nicole Richie Gifted First Dog by Prince and the Pup's Name Was Certainly Unique

One of the perks of Lionel Richie being your dad.

Fashion designer, actress and daughter of Lionel, Nicole Richie stopped by The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and told an absolutely amazing story about how she got her first dog when she was about four-years-old. 

The puppy was a gift from none other than the legendary late artist formerly known as Prince, and he gave the little pup a pretty unusual name. 

"Prince got me my first dog," Richie told Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show Tuesday. "I remember because the dog's name was God. I did not name the dog, obviously."

Let's all just take a beat for a minute and consider how epic and amazing it would be to get a gift like that from Prince. Talk about luckiest kid ever, even though the name is an odd choice. 

Richie also spoke about her other pets, including her new cat she named Lavender Bumblebee. In the above clip, Richie, age 42, talked about how her and socialite Paris Hilton used to go buy pet rats, and later, ferrets. 

Nicole Richie's Other Pets

In 2020, Richie spoke to In Style about all of her pets, including her chickens. 

"Yes. The head honcho of the group — pecking order really does exist! — is Queen Latifah. She's the queen, the leader. The others are called Sunny, Daisy, Dixie Chick, Ivy, Popsicles, and Talulah. We also have a cat named Tiger Lily, a dog named Rocky Baltimore, the turtles, and a bearded dragon called Speedy. Last winter I learned that bearded dragons sometimes won't reveal their sex, so he could be she. It's a very gender fluid home." 

And here is a cute photo of her German Shepherds. 

There isn't a ton of information about all of the pets that Prince owned before his passing. He was said to have had a cat named Paisley and Vanity Fair shares how after his death his sister spoke to the Today Show's Al Roker about the doves at Paisley park, "After he passed, they weren’t talking,” Nelson revealed of Prince’s beloved pets, who even earned an “ambient singing” credit on his 2002 album One Nite Alone. “It didn’t feel the same . . . So when I first came in [to Paisley Park after Prince’s death], I was like, ‘Where’s the doves? What’s going on?’ [His staff] said, ‘They’re up there. They’re just not talking.’ I said, ‘Well you need to play some Prince music.’”

That's so sad. These doves obviously feel like me because I don't think I'll ever not be sad about Prince dying. 

Looking for more PetHelpful updates? Follow us on YouTube for more entertaining videos. Or, share your own adorable pet by submitting a video, and sign up for our newsletter for the latest pet updates and tips.