I recently had the opportunity to interview a gentleman publicly-well known as The World’s Most Interesting Man ^[4].  You’ll likely recognize his handsomely rugged face from the Dos Equis beer commercials where a calmly confident voiceover remarks about his seemingly-limitless prowess in life (which makes average men feel vaguely inferior).

If you aren’t familiar with this intriguing campaign, check out this YouTube video featuring the entire collection of the Dos Equis The Most Interesting Man In the World advertisements ^[5].  The tanned silver fox behind the character is Jonathan Goldsmith ^[6], an actor currently residing in Vermont.

Why am I interviewing The World’s Most Interesting Man? (I’m sure you’re silently inquiring) Well, Mr. Goldsmith is lending his celebrity for the promotion of animal health by partnering with the Morris Animal Foundation to generate awareness about canine and feline cancer.

In fact, the Morris Animal Foundation and Goldsmith are challenging NBC’s The Tonight Show ^[7] host and dog lover Jimmy Fallon to join the fight against canine cancer by participating in the Unite to Fight Pet Cancer Walk ^[8].  According to Morris Animal Foundation, “cancer ends the lives of more dogs and cats than any other disease. Nearly 6 million new cat cancer diagnoses are made each year and cancer is one of the leading causes of death in dogs. By participating in and fundraising for the Unite to Fight Virtual Pet Cancer Walk, you can help increase Morris Animal Foundation’s capacity to invest in science that will help prevent and treat cancer in pets.”

Here are my top five questions for The World’s Most Interesting Man:

What characteristics do you embody that makes you “The World’s Most Interesting Man?”

Being ever humble, Goldsmith’s response was that he has “great writers” that make him out to be The World’s Most Interesting Man.  When it comes down to it, he actually has led a diverse and intriguing life having been an actor for many years and living all over the country, including Beverly Hills, CA. Though he strives to live a low-profile life with his wife in Vermont, he “gets recognized instantly, even in a New England small town.”

Do you currently have a pet?  If so, please tell us about him/her/them.

Goldsmith has two Anatolian Shepherd Dogs ^[9] and has been “in love with the breed for a long time.” He previously had two other Anatolian Shepherd Dogs, one of whom was a star in the 70s television series Dog and Cat ^[10] (starting Kim Basinger, among others) and reportedly “carried the show.”

Goldsmith is such a fan of this breed, which originated in Turkey, due to its tendency to be “protective but non-aggressive, proud, intelligent, and loyal.”  His dogs “patrol at night and are flock-guarding dogs that help to keep away the paparazzi and occasionally a bear” (after all, it is rural Vermont!). Goldsmith’s Anatolian Shepherd Dogs even “like the same television shows as me”, including “old reruns of my shows and House of Cards.”

He’s always had a “love of big dogs”, previously owned Rhodesian Ridgebacks ^[11], and even showedGerman Shorthaired Pointers ^[12].

Have you personally been affected by the loss of a pet to cancer?

Like many pet owners these days, Goldsmith has cared for a dog who ultimately succumbed to cancer.  He “lost an Anatolian Shepherd Dog to osteosarcoma ^[13] at six years of age.”  His dog “weighed 150 pounds and had his clavicle removed” to relieve him of the pain caused by malignant bone cancer.  Reportedly, his giant-sized, three-limbed dog was “quite the site in Beverly Hills where we lived in a one bedroom apartment.”

Despite pursuing surgery, Goldsmith’s dog “died 6 months later.”  He felt obligated to strive to help his dog by removing the limb, as “if you don’t do something, the disease will metastasize.”  Yet, putting his pooch through such a major procedure was tough on both Goldsmith and his canine companion.  He “may not have done the amputation if I had to do all over again.”

Having experienced the devastating effect of his dog’s loss to the disease, Goldsmith feels “research into preventative measures into cancer is so important, as its all about the family.”  Such is why he’s passionate about his partnership with the Morris Animal Foundation.

What is your favorite aspect of being a pet parent?

Goldsmith greatly appreciates the nature of his relationship with his dogs, as they give him “unconditional love and are always there for you even when you come home after having a couple of drinks and are sloppy.  In a pet’s eyes, you can do no wrong.”

What clean (and dirty) tactics does the Most Interesting Man in the World take to motivate Jimmy Fallon to joint the fight for pet cancer?

Reportedly, Jimmy Fallon has a Golden Retriever name Gary.  The Golden Retriever is one of the most common breeds in the United States and unfortunately is prone to a variety of cancers in part due to its genetics.

The Center for Companion Animal Health (CCAH) at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine ^[14]features the informative article Understanding Cancer in Golden Retrievers ^[15], which reports “approximately 60% of all Goldens will die from cancer. By gender, it’s 57% of females and 66% of males.”  Being a male Golden Retriever, Gary has disturbingly high percentage he’ll be afflicted by such a life-alerting disease.

To motivate Fallon to get involved with the Unite to Fight Virtual Pet Cancer Walk, Goldsmith dares Fallon to put Gary up to “challenge the intelligence and physicality of my dogs”.  Now that the “gauntlet has been dropped,” it’s up to Fallon to accept the challenge and join the cause.

Please register ^[16] for the Unite to Fight Virtual Pet Cancer Walk.  Additionally, share this article on social media using #AskFallon to draw attention to your post and even consider directly tweeting @JimmyFallon about your wish for him to join our campaign to fight and prevent pet cancer.

Copyright of this article (2014) is owned by Dr Patrick Mahaney, Veterinarian and Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist. Republishing any portion of this article must first be authorized by Dr Patrick Mahaney. Requests for republishing must be approved by Dr Patrick Mahaney and received in written format.