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As Kaiser covered last week, Chris Pine is now a children’s book author. He drew on his college degree in English, professional resume as a storyteller in Hollywood, and his lifelong love of dogs, and out came When Digz the Dog Met Zurl the Squirrel. In his continued promotion for the new book, Chris chatted with People Mag and talked about the love he had for his childhood dog Lucy, and how after she passed he went 15 years (fifteen!) before he adopted another dog. That period coincided with Chris building his acting career, which makes sense; an up-and-coming actor travels a lot. Still, all those years without canine companionship set the stage for Chris falling head-over-heels in love when he adopted his first dog as an adult, Wednesday. Listen to him describe everything he’s learned about “love and patience and kindness” from his pups (he now has four at home), and you’ll know without a doubt why he is Best Chris.

Highlighting some of his favorite parts of owning dogs — including “morning cuddles” — Pine says, “It’s myriad, small little things throughout the day, where they make you smile because they do something ridiculous.”

“The love that you have with your animals is profound and heart-opening. Then, the practice of that heart opening over time, I can’t help but think that it bleeds into your life elsewhere,” he continues.

“It just makes you more capable of loving, I think. My dogs have continued to teach me a lot,” adds Pine, who recently released his first children’s book, When Digz the Dog Met Zurl the Squirrel: A Short Tale About a Short Tail.

According to Pine, he became a pet owner for the first time when he was a young child growing up with his dad, fellow actor Robert Pine, and his mom, Gwynne Gilford.

“When I was seven, my parents took me to adopt a dog, and so we got Lucy,” he explains. “She was a small dog, and I had her from when I was seven until I was [in my 20s].”

After Lucy’s death, Pine says he was left heartbroken. “I was studying abroad that year, and I remember my parents calling me and telling me my dog had died, and it was shattering,” he explains.

“Then I went 15 years without a dog. I was traveling a lot, working and starting my career, but then I got Wednesday, and really, it’s no hyperbole to say that she’s taught me everything about love and patience and kindness,” Pine continues of his rescue pup. “She’s just changed my life.”

Pine tells PEOPLE he now questions why he went over a decade without another furry friend in his life. “I was like, ‘Why did I waste so much time?’” he says.

And while he notes that he isn’t a parent, the Don’t Worry Darling star says raising a pet has prepared him for that role, should he ever choose to take it on.

“There’s so much mutual learning in some regard,” he explains. “It’s like, you have to teach a dog how to live in a house and how to teach a dog to be potty-trained, and you have to teach a dog what they can and can’t do.”

“You’re also learning about patience,” Pine continues. “If they rip up a couch, how do you deal with that and how do you treat them with kindness instead of anger?”

[From People]

Oof yeah, finding patience is a biggie. I consider myself a pretty patient woman, but I had a moment with my new rescue pup the other night that I’m not so proud of. Three weeks ago I met, fell in love with, and welcomed home My Guy, and it has been an adjustment getting used to his three-year-old energy! So the other night My Guy insisted on getting us up, and it became clear he wanted to go outside. I tried communicating to him that no, we’re not walking at 3 o’clock in the morning, and in my deep desire to return to slumber, I became more frustrated than I should have. I didn’t yell, but I could feel my temper rising quickly. And then I said to myself, “Kismet, you are escalating an argument with a three-year-old chihuahua. Is this really who you want to be?” We finally came to amicable terms (me promising to be more understanding, My Guy promising not to change anything), kisses have since been exchanged, and I believe we are stronger for this experience.

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