Jake Owen's Adorable Rescue Pup Axel 'Is in the Chewing Phase'
The country star spilled on his German shepherd at the iHeartCountry festival in Austin
In case you missed it, Jake Owen brought home a new German shepherd pup recently — and he is quite the looker.
Axel — who earned his moniker from Owen’s daughter Pearl, 4 — was just 3 months old when the country singer adopted him, and is fitting into the family (which also includes 6-year-old bulldog Merle) nicely, earning a starring role on Owen’s Instagram account with sweet snapshots and funny videos of him attacking doorstops.
“My daughter loves him,” Owen told PEOPLE over the weekend at the iHeartCountry Festival in Austin. “She loves to play with him.”
However, Axel has one habit that Pearl doesn’t quite love: “He’s in the chewing phase,” Owen admitted. “She doesn’t like it when he chews on her hands.” (We feel that, Pearl.)
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Owen has long been a dog lover. In 2011, he spoke to PEOPLE about Merle and his other bulldog, Vern, whom he was retiring from the road. At the time, Merle was taking over as “copilot” as Owen kicked off a tour.
“I like to take my dog on the road,” the singer said. “He stays up front; he likes it there.”
- Reporting by KRISTEN O’BRIEN