Antony Starr may play the most terrifying villain on TV right now, but outside of his Homelander costume, he’s charting a much more charitable path.
Recently, “The Boys” cast member teamed up with Pups Without Borders, a nonprofit based in Los Angeles that specializes in “rescuing pregnant dogs, nursing litters, and sick and injured puppies.”
On July 9, Starr and Pups Without Borders announced that 11 puppies were up for adoption. And in a nod to their mother “Starlight,” all of the puppies were named after characters from the Amazon Prime show — by Starr himself.
From “Mothers Milk” to “Kimiko” the uniquely named litter of 11 puppies included Homelander — who Starr called a mischievous “little guy” — a “super sweet, snuggly, and warm” Hughie, and a “handsome devil [who’s] maybe a little slower on the uptake” named The Deep.
For Starr, sponsoring the animal rescue and getting the word out was a no-brainer.
He adopted his own dog “Oliver Starr” from the same rescue in 2023, after Oliver was pulled from a hoarding situation in Tijuana.
“He’s an incredible little guy and this organization is doing an incredible job of saving these little furry friends from the streets and sometimes worse,” Starr wrote in the Instagram caption.
“If you’re looking for a dog I highly recommend you come to this organization and rescue a little soul that needs a home.”
And now that the puppies are eight weeks old, Starr cheekily announced that they were “cooked” and “ready for their new homes!”
“It’s taken a minute but they are all healthy, strong, and good to go!” Starr exclaimed.
As of publication,“handsome and dark” Butcher — named after Karl Urban’s brooding vigilante — was the first to be adopted, but the rest are still waiting to be placed in their forever homes.
As the weeks have gone by, the volunteers at Pups Without Borders have posted Instagram updates of their growth spurts and growing personalities.
According to the staff, Kimiko has “grown into quite the confident and outspoken young lady” and Sister Sage “has been sizing us up since she was two weeks old.”
Their journey hasn’t been without difficulties. The dogs named after Homelander and Victoria Nuemann came from a different litter rescued from the edge of the Mojave desert in Lancaster, CA.
“We brought mama and babies to our rescue, and noticed after about a week that mom refused to feed or tend to the babies,” a staff member wrote on Instagram. “So left without a mom to love or feed them, we decided to introduce them to our other nursing mama, Starlight. And she ended up loving them just like her own!”
Another complication arose when parvovirus spread throughout the rescue, and Nuemann contracted the highly contagious infection.
Fortunately, she very narrowly survived when it was caught early and treated, but the event exposed just how critical Pups Without Borders has been in caring for this young litter.
When it comes to the rest of “The Boys” actors, Starr’s castmates have supported the cause by liking and sharing his Pups Without Borders posts on social media.
Chace Crawford and Colby Minifie also joined Starr in supporting another rescue — the North Shore Animal League — on the The Late Show With Stephen Colbert segment “Rescue Dog Rescue.”
In addition to urging fans to “adopt don't shop” Starr has frequently spoken about the crisis of overcrowded shelters, specifically in Los Angeles.
In May, six shelters in L.A. were operating at over double its capacity — around 211% full.
“It’s sad because L.A.’s got such a problem with dogs,” Starr said at a CCXP panel in Mexcio earlier this summer. “There was an event last week; I made a push on social media because there was a lot of dogs that were going to be euthanized. [I thought] ‘F—k this. We gotta take care of these guys.’”
At the same panel, Starr went on to applaud the work that Pups Without Borders has accomplished in just four years.
According to their website, the rescue opened during the peak of Covid-19 and has since placed over 4,000 dogs “into loving forever homes.”
“They are amazing, they’re really trying to do good things,” Starr said. “I mean, I love all animals, but I do have a soft spot for dogs, because, you know, they’re my best friends.”
To donate to Pups Without Borders or look at their adoptable dogs, visit the nonprofit here.
Header images via Pups Without Borders / @pupswithoutborders
