People.com Lifestyle Pets Melissa Etheridge Says Rescue Is the New Breed The singer adopts two Labs, Cooper and Scout By Melody Chiu Melody Chiu Instagram Twitter Melody Chiu is a Senior Editor for PEOPLE. She has been with the brand since 2009, editing, writing and reporting across all entertainment verticals. She oversees PEOPLE's music and events coverage and has written cover stories on Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez, Melissa McCarthy, Blake Shelton and Sandra Oh. The Los Angeles native graduated from the University of Southern California and has appeared on Extra!, The Talk, Access Hollywood and Good Morning America. People Editorial Guidelines and Kate Hogan Kate Hogan Instagram Twitter Kate Hogan is Director of Digital Specials and Features at PEOPLE. In her 14 years at the brand, she has covered everything from pets and babies to style and Sexiest Man Alive, interviewing celebrities including Céline Dion, Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson and Chris Evans. Currently, she oversees the creation of photo galleries that complement breaking news and major PEOPLE moments like The Beautiful Issue and 100 Reasons to Love America. She has offered expert celebrity commentary on Good Morning America and Access Hollywood. Before joining PEOPLE in 2008, Kate was an editorial assistant at Morris Visitor Publications. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Bachelor's degree in journalism and mass communication and resides outside of Chicago with her husband and three kids. People Editorial Guidelines Published on September 30, 2010 01:00 PM Share Tweet Pin Email With four children running around her house, Melissa Etheridge already has her hands full. But recently, the singer decided to further open her home – and her heart – to two rescue Labs, Cooper and Scout. “They’re the sweetest dogs on earth,” Etheridge tells PEOPLEPets.com. “They are just the coolest, nothing-bothers-them dogs.” Etheridge found the young pups – “they’re about 3 or 4,” she says – through Indi Lab Rescue in Southern California, she told PEOPLE Tuesday night at Hard Rock’s PINKTOBER launch in Hollywood. “My son wanted a dog, so he researched … and came up with a Lab. He started looking at pictures [through] Indi Lab Rescue, and we sent in an application and just did our thing.” Cooper, who’s really 11-year-old Beckett’s dog, actually came all the way from Taiwan. Scout was a more local rescue, “saved out of a pound, 15 minutes away from euthanization,” Etheridge explains. So far, Beckett has taken responsibility for his pup, walking him around the neighborhood with mom. “He loves his dogs, and he’s very good at taking care of them,” she shares. Since Etheridge also has 4-year-old twins Miller and Johnnie (and 13-year-old Bailey), she wanted dogs that were “super-mellow” and not too jumpy. “[Indi Lab Rescue] really took the time to find the right dogs,” she says. “A kid can run around and scream and holler, and the dog maybe moves his eyes and that’s it. They could not be sweeter.” It’s not the first time the family has had pets – Etheridge says they had a couple of other dogs “who grew up and passed away.” But they knew they were “ready to bring new ones in,” particularly from a rescue organization. “I saw a bumper sticker the other day that read, ‘Rescue is the New Breed,’ ” she recalls. “I agree with that.” Meet more singers’ pups on PEOPLEPets.com:Country Singer Lucas Hoge Stays Up Late – to Bottle-Feed KittensVIDEO: Randy Houser Has a New Muse: Dog Dolly Parton