9 Winter Olympics Stars With Sweet Dogs Waiting at Home

For the past few weeks, top-tier athletes have been chasing medals at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. But now with the competition nearing its end, they are eager to go home to wagging tails and muddy paws. While the world watched the slopes for record-breaking jumps and lightning-fast sprints, these athletes had a secret team of supporters.

Their support team? It has four legs and a wagging tail. Lindsey Vonn recently shared the emotional toll of losing her beloved dog just one day after her crash at the downhill race, but she isn’t the only Winter Olympian with a beloved pet.

Let’s take a look at other Olympic stars who have dogs.

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Amber Glenn

Not many people know it, but Amber Glenn is a big animal person, and her pet has a unique background. She has a Schipperke named Uki. The name comes from Ukkima, Stalking Shadow. For those not familiar with the card game Magic: The Gathering, the name Uki actually comes from a character in the game.

Ukkima, Stalking Shadow, is a blue-black whale wolf card in the game. And according to Glenn, Schipperke is a small, black and wolfish dog breed, making it a fitting name for her pup.

Here’s another fun fact: When Nazgul the wolfdog crashed the cross-country skiing race, she took to social media and congratulated him.

As for her own performance, Glenn had a disastrous show in the short program. She nearly pulled off a miraculous comeback by skating to near perfection in the free program, but she failed to win a medal.

Hilary Knight

The famous hockey player is another dog person among the Winter Olympic stars. She had plenty to celebrate during this year’s Olympics. She won gold with Team USA, and also proposed to her partner, another Olympic star, Brittany Bowe.

Knight often posts on social media pictures and videos of her dog. For example, last Halloween, she posted a video to show her dog’s outfit for the holiday.

Chloe Kim

Chloe Kim is a two-time Olympic snowboarding gold medalist. In this year’s Olympics, she won the silver medal. Chloe is also a proud mom to an Australian shepherd called Reese. In many of her interviews, Kim praises her dog, saying Reese is her daily boost of serotonin.

Speaking of her dog, she noted that Australian shepherds have plenty of energy, and they often throw a ball in their yard to play.

Madison Chock and Evan Bates

Madison Chock and Evan Bates won the silver medal at the Milano Cortina games, but we bet they cannot wait to get back home to their toy poodles Henry and Stella. Looking at Chock’s Instagram handle, she often posts pictures of the two. We can safely say that while they train in Montreal, the two poodles act as team spirit mascots.

Jutta Leerdam

Jutta Leerdam was one of the more famous athletes at these Olympic games, and she delivered a sensational race to win the gold at the 1000m.

Her dog’s name is Thor, and she calls him her best friend. She often shares videos of him on TikTok and Instagram. For example, last year, she shared a video of her fiancé, Jake Paul, coming over with Thor after they have been separated due to training for two and a half months.

Erin Jackson

Erin Jackson was the flagbearer for Team USA at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. This was her third Olympics, and she tried to defend her 2022 500m Gold medal.

She’s one of the most prolific Winter Olympians, and she loves to have a full house of pets. She has two dogs and two cats, and she often refers to them as her kids. In an interview before the games, Jackson said home is her happy place, and with so many pets around, we can understand why.

Ryan Cocheran-Siegle

The famous American alpine ski racer took home the silver medal in the men’s Super G. Famous for his downhill and Super-G skills, he comes from a well-known skiing family.

Cocheran-Siegle is widely considered one of the leading American ski racers of his generation. And when he is not on the slopes, he heads home to Vermont where he lives with his dog, Wrigley.

Jessie Diggins

Jessie Diggins is the most decorated American cross-country skier in history. She will compete in her final race on Sunday, at the women’s 50km. Famous for her fierce advocacy work, she often talks about mental health, eating disorder recovery and climate action. Diggins leverages her platform as an Olympic champion to try and make change.

She is also a proud dog owner to Leo—you can see him on her Instagram. Back in 2018, her dog was featured in a People’s magazine story, with the story written from his perspective. Leo “talked” about how he provides emotional support and gets treats as rewards for it.

Gus Kenworthy

Gus Kenworthy is one of biggest animal people among the Winter Olympics stars. He rescued his dog Birdie from a meat farm while competing at the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games. He also saved 90 other puppies.

When he rescued Birdie, the dog was only five months old. Now in his senior days, Birdie is still Kenworthy’s biggest emotional support.

This story was originally published by Parade Pets on Feb 21, 2026, where it first appeared in the Pet News section. Add Parade Pets as a Preferred Source by clicking here.