On the most recent episode of The Thrive Global Podcast with iHeart Radio and Sleep Number, Thrive Global founder and CEO Arianna Huffington sat down with Andy Cohen, the executive producer of The Real Housewives, host of Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live, and the first openly gay American late-night talk show host. In a wide-ranging conversation, Huffington and Cohen spoke about everything from his Insta-famous dog to how he takes 20-minute naps to keep from crashing.
As the host of his own show, Cohen admitted it’s easy to “get sick of yourself,” so having a dog as a companion helps him feel less alone. He rescued his first dog Wacha, a beagle-foxhound mix, from a kill shelter. But it was really Wacha who rescued him: “He just opened my heart up, basically in every way,” said Cohen.
Cohen calls himself that “kind of annoying person” who seldom has bad days, but in the rare moments when he does, Wacha offers him emotional support. “A friend of mine died last year and I was sitting there in tears,” he told Huffington. “You know, dogs can tell when you’re upset, and they will come to you and they will try to comfort you.”
Like many other proud pet owners, Cohen made Wacha an Instagram account, which has garnered 218,000 followers.
Wacha also trained Cohen for a serious relationship. Cohen had been going through a long dry spell, but a year after adopting Wacha, he found himself opening up in ways he hadn’t before.
Wacha tends to get territorial, especially when Cohen brings a man home, but Cohen trusts his dog’s instincts for the most part. “The last guy I was dating, he responded to him the moment that he walked in,” he said. “So that was great. I was like, ‘Oh, this is a good sign.’” Cohen ended up dating him for two and a half years.
To hear the full conversation on iHeartRadio, click here.
You can also listen to the Thrive Global podcast internationally for free on iTunes and Stitcher.