AN ARTICLE FROM TAILS MAGAZINE

ENDLESS LOVE

Chudney Ross opens up about her childhood, dreams, and what it's like when her mother, superstar Diana Ross, gets together with her dogs.
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By Dustin Fitzharris

Photo by Sharon Montrose - www.sharonmontrose.com

There are many ways to describe Chudney Ross. She’s a writer and a model. A teacher and an artist. She just proves you can almost have it all. But when your mom is the legendary Diana Ross, you learn early in life that if you want something badly enough, there ain’t no mountain high enough—to prevent you from achieving.

When Ross, 34, isn’t in front of the camera or at her computer writing in Los Angeles, she’s on the beach with Peanut, her 8-year-old Silky Terrier, and Brody, her 2-year-old Woodle. When talking about her little ones, Ross says Peanut likes watching television and taking long walks on the beach. Brody, on the other hand, is a bundle of energy and enjoys harassing Peanut and eating everything in sight, including Ross’ unmentionables.

Ross’ love for animals started at a young age and has only grown stronger. Her devotion has led her to work with various charities, including Much Love Animal Rescue (MuchLove.org), which is dedicated to reducing overpopulation, abuse, and neglect of domestic animals.

When Tails caught up with Ross, she was eager to talk about her doggies, but had her hands full, stuggling to keep Brody off of her computer!


How old was Peanut when you first got him?
He was five weeks old. I'm sad to say I got him at a pet store. I know it’s not the best way to get a dog, but he was just this tiny little thing who needed to go home with somebody, and in Colorado it’s very rare to find a small dog. Everywhere I went there were just big dogs, and I wanted a small one. Then when I looked at him, there was no way you couldn’t love this little thing. He fit in the palm of my hand.

What was it about Peanut that you fell in love with?
He was the runt of the litter, and he was the last one left. Everyone was like, “Oh, he’s a little off and strange,” but I fell in love with him instantly. He was 1.2 pounds, greasy, and looked like a rat, but we just fell in love instantly.

You got Brody in May. Tell me about him.
He came with lots of issues. The friend of mine who had him couldn’t control him. She was going to give him to the pound because she didn’t know what else to do with him. I’ve always wanted two dogs, but I took him with the thought that at least I could find him another [guardian] before dropping him off at the pound. He’s a bit aggressive with other dogs, and I knew this would be the first dog put down at the pound, and I couldn’t put that on my conscience.

What was the first thing you did with Brody?
Sign up for a training course!

His name was originally Rowdy. How did he become Brody?
My friend named him Rowdy. Maybe it’s just an L.A. thing, but one of the big things the trainer said was that [the name] Rowdy comes with a negative connotation. He suggested that we turn that around and give him a positive name. Before we started the training, I took a week and tried out different names to see what he responded to. It was between Brody and Billy, but my roommate at the time had negative thoughts about the name Billy—an ex-boyfriend thing.

Didn’t all those different names confuse him?
Probably. But he was young. He’s fine. He’s been a handful, but a good addition to our home.

Do Peanut and Brody get along?
You know, that was my hope with having two dogs, but I think it’s hard to have a dog for eight years and then bring another dog into the household who is a puppy and has a lot of energy. Plus, Brody is much bigger. He’s 25 pounds, and Peanut is about 10. No, they don’t get along that well. There was some fighting in the beginning, but we’ve settled in, and I think while I’m sleeping they snuggle up together. I think they like each other more than they let on. Brody wants to play all the time, and Peanut just wants to lie there and be fabulous.

Do you remember your first pet?
I named my first dog Popcorn. It’s strange, but I guess I name all my dogs after food! Anyway, he was a Maltese. My mom had a Maltese growing up, and she had all of these paintings of her with this white dog. So I always wanted one. For Christmas when maybe I was seven or eight I got Popcorn, and he was my dog. My sisters had dogs as well. My mom still has dogs who were my brothers, but now they’re in my mom’s care. So we’ve always had lots of animals in our lives, and we’ve traveled with them. Brody has been a little bit of a challenge to travel with, but it’s always been very important to our family to have animals.

How is your mom, who is known to the world as this glamorous diva, with dogs?
She loves them. She has two dogs, and she watches Peanut on occasion when I’m out of town. She has this strange thing where she’ll actually carry on a conversation with him. He makes these noises, and my mom really likes trying to figure out what he’s saying. She’ll sit there and have a full conversation with him. She’s great with animals.

What kind of dogs does your mom have?
Two Golden Retrievers. They were my brother’s dogs. They’re quite old now.

How did Peanut get to star on Ugly Betty?
We worked with the Le Paws Agency. I guess we’re still with the agency, but we don’t get sent out that much. You need to do a lot of training. At the time, I had a lot of time to keep up with the training, but it’s expensive. It was fun, and it was definitely a nice bonding experience. We booked Ugly Betty, so that’s Peanut’s big claim to fame. I love it because it’s there on YouTube, and it’s hysterical to me that that’s my dog sitting there with Betty White, who was a guest star. But no, we didn’t have a long, lucrative career with Peanut.

Were you a stage mom?
(Laughing) I wasn’t as bad as some people, but when we did go in for our interview we went wearing matching T-shirts. I thought I was wild, but there were some people in our classes who were way more out there than I could ever be.

Speaking of stage moms, what’s been the best thing about having Diana Ross as a mom?
It’s all I know. It just seems normal to me. She’s always been very supportive in anything my siblings and I do. She really pushes us to follow our dreams and tells us that anything is possible if you work hard. We definitely learned a good work ethic. We’re all lucky and enjoy our lives, but we do all work hard, and we learned that from our mother.

Your sister, Rhonda, just had a baby. What’s it like being an aunt?
I was lucky enough to be there when my sister gave birth. I got to hold him when he was just 10 minutes old. I’ve been around a lot of babies, but not babies like that. To continue to watch him grow will be just an amazing experience. I look forward to having my own children in the future.

You currently have a contract with Harper Collins and are writing a series of books for readers between the ages of 7 and 12. How did that come about?
I fell into it. I was an elementary school teacher when I first graduated from college. I did Teach for America [an organization that recruits recent college graduates and places them in urban and rural public schools]. After I finished my two-year commitment, I substituted. Then I worked on a children’s film as a production assistant. From there I just started working in television and learning all about that. In the process of pitching ideas, this book kind of came out of nowhere. Then all of a sudden I was a writer. So as much as I say I want to be in the entertainment business, I keep going back to children and education because that’s where my heart is. I think it’s my calling.

What advice would you give to people who are considering getting a dog?
Do a lot of research. Don’t just go with what’s cute. Put some thought into it. A lot of people just go and say “Oh, he’s so cute,” and then they get home and realize they aren’t ready to be a dog [guardian].

What are you the most proud of?
I’m the most proud of the woman I’ve become. I was extremely shy and introverted growing up, and I really didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life or where I wanted to be. It’s a hard place to be when you’re in a state of confusion, but I feel like I’m a good person. I have a good heart, and I’m doing the things I love.