Oprah Winfrey, 72, reveals how her DOGS have taught her one of life’s biggest lessons

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By ASHLEIGH GRAY

Published: 17:29 EDT, 22 May 2026 | Updated: 23:25 EDT, 22 May 2026

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Oprah Winfrey has announced a new partnership with the dog food brand The Farmer’s Dog, and opened up about her strong connection to canines.

While promoting a new YouTube mini-series called Life is Better with Dogs, the 72-year-old media mogul – who was spotted at Paris Fashion Week earlier this year – revealed what her pets have taught her.

‘One of the reasons why I actually believe I’m in the prime of my life is because I’ve learned presence from my dogs. I’ve watched my dogs, who are just living in the moment. They are fully present,’ she told People magazine this week. 

The former talk show host added, ‘I’ve learned to accept the aging process, too. I’ve learned even when you don’t move as well and things go wrong, life is still good.’

And she said when she lost her ‘soul dog’ Luke in 2018, it ‘deepened my spirituality.’

‘He had the biggest soul ever. I’m telling you, when I transition, Luke will be there to greet me,’ Winfrey insisted about her beloved animal.

Oprah Winfrey has announced a new partnership with the dog food brand The Farmer’s Dog, and opened up about her strong connection to canines; pictured in January 

While promoting a new YouTube mini-series called Life is Better with Dogs, the 72-year-old media mogul revealed what her pets have taught her

She has cared for 21 dogs throughout her life and she told the outlet, ‘Dogs have always been the love of my life.’

Her first pet was a black cockapoo named Simone, who she saved her lunch money to buy while living with her mother in Milwaukee.

Winfrey made up a story, telling her mom that her gym teacher had asked if she could dog sit while she was on vacation. 

Weeks later Winfrey lied and said her teacher didn’t want the dog back, noting, ‘I assumed my mother would fall in love [with the dog].’

She went to great lengths to keep the dog, going as far as telling her mom that the dog thwarted burglars.

‘I was going through a lot at that time and he was my one companion,’ she explained. 

‘He was my refuge. Dogs have always been the friend in my life when everything else around me was falling apart. It was the dog that allowed me to hold on.’

When she went to live with her father in Nashville at age 14, she brought Simone with her, but her dad did not allow it in the house.

‘One of the reasons why I actually believe I’m in the prime of my life is because I’ve learned presence from my dogs,’ she said. ‘I’ve watched my dogs, who are just living in the moment. They are fully present’

The former talk show host added, ‘I’ve learned to accept the aging process, too. I’ve learned even when you don’t move as well and things go wrong, life is still good’

Winfrey said when she lost her ‘soul dog’ Luke in 2018, it ‘deepened my spirituality’

‘The dog had to sleep under the house,’ she remembered. ‘I would come sit on the porch at night just to be with him.’

She decided that when she became an adult, she would have a dog in her home – ‘And I vowed I’d get the biggest dog I could find,’ she recalled.

At age 20, she moved out and followed through on her word.

‘I got an Afghan hound, which I named Kashmir. From then on, I’ve never been without a dog companion,’ the star told the publication.

Winfrey narrates each four-minute episode of Life is Better with Dogs, which spotlights the bond between dogs and their owners and is presented by the Oprah Podcast.

The first episode showcases US Navy veteran Chad Brown, who found healing for his PTSD through his 11-year-old Labrador Axe.

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