She’s been married twice, and had a fair few public relationships along the way – but in the past few years, Jennifer Lopez has clearly followed the old adage that, “The more men I meet, the more I like my dog.” Nowadays, her social feed is replete with pictures of her three beloved pooches, who ostensibly give the actress just as much love, attention and companionship as she gives them – and according to insiders, she’s ready to devote even more time and energy to her furry friends.

We’re told the 55 year old, who’s still booked and busy with acting projects – including her Emmy-nominated role on The Morning Show – is keen to dedicate a significant part of her working week to canine causes that matter to her. That means potentially fostering and adopting more dogs moving forwards, and also volunteering with as many dog rescue missions as possible. Plus, with her recently announced children’s book coming out in October – whose puppy protagonist, Clydeo, is inspired by her grey schnauzer mix, Clyde – we’re told she’s just getting started when it comes to celebrating dogs on a personal and professional basis. As far as she’s concerned, men may come and go, but her puppy pals are for life.

“Jen has always been devoted to her dogs,” says an insider close to the actress, who, as the story goes, got through the stress of her and ex-husband Brad Pitt’s divorce in 2005 with the help of her late dog Norman, and used to take her “baby boy” everywhere with her – even while appearing on camera. “She’s the first one to say they’re like family to her. But now she’s taking things to the next level and is getting super involved with dog rescue. She’s not just donating money; she’s also donating her time and even fostering dogs while they wait for their forever homes. She has three dogs of her own and, now that she’s fostering, it’s not unusual for her to have five or six running around at a time. When she isn’t working, she plans her life around the dogs. Then, if she has to leave for a job, she hires staff dedicated specifically to taking care of them. She treats them the way that a lot of people treat their kids – it’s very sweet.”

At present, Jennifer has three beloved pooches at home: as well as Clyde, she has white pit bull Sophie – both of whom she adopted while still married to her ex-husband Justin Theroux – plus white labrador Lord Chesterfield, who joined the gang in 2020. All three regularly appear on their human mum’s Instagram feed, alongside tributes to her former four-legged babies: Norman, who died in 2011, and Dolly, who died in 2019. As well as having a tattoo of Norman’s name on her foot, “So he still comes for walks with [her]”, Jen keeps a wind chime engraved with Dolly’s name in her Bel Air mansion. Fans regularly go crazy for her puppy content online, with a carousel of pictures celebrating the anniversary of Lord Chesterfield’s adoption amassing over three million likes.

Still, it’s Jen’s latest project that’s taken her love for dogs to unprecedented heights. In 2021, the actress and entrepreneur signed a deal with Invisible Universe, an entertainment technology startup, to start an Instagram page about an animated dog named Clydeo, who lives in Jennifer’s home and loves nothing more than rustling up dinner in her kitchen. But last month, Jennifer announced that Clydeo was moving up in the world: he’s now got a new children’s book coming out. Written by Jen as part of a four-book deal with HarperCollins, the book tells the tale (or tail) of Clydeo discovering himself and his love for cooking. Apparently, this is just the beginning, with plans to turn the book into an animated film or TV series, and also see Jen and Clydeo released a “co-authored” cookbook, as well as two “I can read!” books for young children learning to read.

Speaking about her new book Clydeo Takes a Bite Out of Life, Jen said in a statement, “I could never have imagined how much joy he [Clydeo] would bring to his fans and followers. I could not be more thrilled to be taking Clydeo and his stories to publishing, where he will hopefully inspire children and dog-lovers alike with his adorable journey to find his true passion.”

Now, we’re told, Jen is tentatively putting even more plans in place, which might include Chesterfield and Sophie inspiring their own animated franchises, too. Ultimately, she knows just how much joy her dogs have given her, and wants the opportunity to give more pets a happy home, and also spread their joy to her fans worldwide.

“Jen has a soul connection with her dogs,” says our insider. “She always says that Norman got her through the heartbreak of divorce. Without him, she would have been so much lonelier. She now adores her current three dogs just the same. She’s so attached to them and would literally do anything for them. Meanwhile, dog rescue has been something she’s put her resources into for a long time, so it makes perfect sense that she’s now doing a series of books for kids. She’s so creative and loves making up stories about dogs, so this is perfect for her. This is a new venture and it’s bringing her a whole lot of joy.”

As for welcoming a partner back into her life, we’re told the actress remains open to the possibility, but she’s not stressing about it – not when she already has such a loving and fulfilling life at home. And, unsurprisingly, there’s one non-negotiable when it comes to romancing Ms Aniston, as our source reveals: “One thing’s for sure…any guy that wants a shot with her must love dogs!”