Amanda Seyfried has made a heartfelt confession about the impact her rescue dog, Finn, has had on her life. In a recent interview with PEOPLE, the Mamma Mia! star reflected on the special bond she shares with her 15-year-old Australian shepherd, explaining how he gave her purpose and stability during challenging times.
“Pets give us purpose. No matter what we say, we can’t deny the fact that we need purpose,” Seyfried, 38, shared. “And to have that responsibility of taking care of animals, who don’t have a voice and can’t really do much for themselves, it gives you so much more than we could ever give them, really.”
Seyfried spoke candidly about how much Finn has meant to her over the years. “I don’t know what my twenties would’ve looked like without Finn. I really don’t know,” she admitted. “I don’t know how I would’ve navigated Hollywood. I mean, I stayed out of a lot of trouble, I think, because I had that guy to come home to.”
The Mean Girls actress revealed that she adopted Finn while working on the set of the HBO series Big Love, and from the moment she met him, she knew he was special. In a 2019 interview with PEOPLE, Seyfried reflected on their early days together, saying, “As soon as he was mine, like 24 hours after I got him, I realized something about me needed him.”
“He completely changed my life and helped me find my solitude and my independence,” Seyfried explained, adding that her intention was originally to find a home for Finn after a couple of weeks. “I took him home thinking I was going to, like, find a home for him… but I fell in love with him right away.”
What began as an act of kindness turned into a lifelong companionship. “I was just like, ‘I’m going to keep him safe,’ and then he just ended up keeping me safe,” she continued, told to The New York Times.
Seyfried also opened up about her struggles with anxiety and OCD, sharing how Finn helped her through some of the hardest times in her twenties. “My twenties were just hard in general like anybody’s twenties are hard, so I think he grounded me in a way that nothing else could have.”
Finn, now a senior dog, continues to be an important part of Seyfried’s life, giving her comfort and companionship through the years.