Losing a dog is like losing a piece of your soul. Eight months ago, Charissa Thompson faced this heartbreak when her beloved dog, Pilot, passed away. Pilot wasn’t just any dog—he had protected and lived on Ruby Ranch for over ten years. Since then, Charissa has been searching for that same connection with two new dogs, Simba and Frankie. And recently, she opened up about how these two souls came into her life.
A couple of years back, Thompson bought Ruby Ranch and turned it into a vacation spot, becoming Pilot’s guardian along the way. But what about Simba and Frankie? Yep, Charissa adopted those two cuties. This Saturday, she shared how she rescued them. She posted an adorable pic of Simba on her Instagram story and captioned it, “My sweet Simba. Love being his mom, and so glad we were able to save him. He was set to be put down & thanks to Ruby Ranch Life, we could give him a home.” She also gave her fans a little peek into how she got him.
She mentioned a guy named Toni, who once had Mashmellow (now Simba), and shared how she felt when Simba came into her life. So, she posted a chat where she talked with Toni about the tough situations Simba was dealing with, and how Charissa felt about it. Just sharing her thoughts in the chat, she shared, “I don’t want him to die.” At that moment, Simba was really at risk, but Charissa gave him all the care he needed—and most importantly, a home. Later, she posted a cute photo of Simba and Frankie together, saying, “Now Simba and Frankie, both rescued and living their best life. Thanks to everyone who supports.” She saved Frankie, too, but there isn’t much about how she got him. Maybe that’s a story for another time.
Wondering how they’re doing now? They’re always lounging on Charissa’s couch, soaking up the good times. Honestly, their adorable faces are what get them up there, since Charissa usually doesn’t allow them on the couch. But within moments, they make themselves at home because Charissa just can’t resist them. Those adorable faces totally ‘forced her to do so,’ as she put it on her IG: “Said I wasn’t gonna let them on the couch… that lasted 5 seconds.” It’s clear Charissa loves these two munchkins big time—and it’s all thanks to her previous dog Pilot, who opened her heart to loving more dogs.
Charissa absolutely adores her dogs, but she’s certainly not one of those overly obsessed dog moms who expect everyone else to be just as crazy about dogs. A few months back, on an episode of her podcast “Calm Down,” Charissa and her co-host Erin Andrews chatted about a viral video showing a dog riding in a shopping cart while the owner picked out produce. Charissa clearly stated her position: “We love dogs, we own dogs. I love everything about dogs, but I don’t want dogs in a grocery store unless it is a service animal,” she said. “I just think it’s weird when animals are in places where food is involved.”
Whether it’s a grocery store or a restaurant, having a furry friend around can get a bit tricky. Sure, dogs are usually cool at outdoor spots like beer gardens or patios, but bring one inside with you and you might catch some side-eyes. That’s what makes Charissa stand out—she has this rare ability to call it like it is, no matter the situation. Charissa is the type of person who speaks her mind, whether it’s about dogs or skincare. She’s just being honest about the fact that she keeps repeating the same mistakes again.
Charissa Thompson’s mistake: A lesson in repetition
Charissa Thompson and Erin Andrews have been hanging out on the Calm Down Podcast since 2021. It’s their cozy spot where they can just be themselves, chatting about their lives, work, and all things sports. With over 20 years in the sports scene, they’ve gained a solid fan following by being real, upfront, and super entertaining. And guess what? They’ve just released more awesome episodes!
This week’s episodes were packed with everything from haircare hacks and embracing your 40s (think The Golden Girls vibes) to decoding love languages and the emotional rollercoaster of returning to work after baby duty—kind of like Gilmore Girls when Lorelai tries to balance everything, but with less coffee and more feels. They also dive into some hilarious real-life stories, like a DMV fail that could rival any Seinfeld moment and a school picture day disaster straight out of The Office. Erin even dropped a teaser clip with some juicy behind-the-scenes moments, including Charissa’s latest “oops” moment—admitting she regrets a skincare choice, a “core” confession.
Via Instagram @erinandrews
In the Ins͏tagram clip shared a few days back, Eri͏n͏ praised Charissa saying: “You look great. I͏ kno͏w I have͏ a lot to a͏dd about your look today.” Charissa sh͏ook her head͏ an͏d re͏plie͏d, “You an͏d I͏ were together over ͏the w͏eekend, and one͏ of us ͏used sunsc͏reen a͏nd one of us d͏idn’t. And this is ͏what I do to mysel͏f. I’m a͏ masochist ͏and I ͏will ͏s͏pend al͏l this mone͏y on ͏lasers ͏a͏n͏d crea͏ms, and I’m goin͏g to get a facial ev͏ery fre͏a͏kin͏g five days – and then I’ll sit in the sun and not wear sun͏s͏cre͏en ͏because I think to ͏myself͏, O͏h, I just wan͏t to get a base ͏tan.͏ Well,͏ her͏e we go. It’s͏ all my fa͏ult.”͏
She then pulled back her hair to ͏reveal obvious tan lines sh͏e regrets. ͏C͏a͏lling herself a ‘mas͏ochist’ for messing͏ up on s͏unscreen w͏as ͏cl͏as͏sic Charissa. “͏I’m ͏a masochis͏t and I will sp͏en͏d al͏l this m͏oney on lasers and creams and ͏I͏’m going to get a͏ f͏ac͏ial͏ ͏every fr͏eaking five da͏ys a͏nd ͏s͏pend͏ a lot ͏o͏f money, even though I love m͏y facia͏l. And it’s like,͏ and t͏hen I͏’ll sit in the sun and͏ not wear ͏sunsc͏reen because I think to m͏ysel͏f, Oh, I j͏ust want to get a base tan.”
Charissa l͏ooked ͏sun-kiss͏ed͏, but Er͏i͏n loved͏ her look—she even shook h͏er head when ͏Charissa criticized herself. “Well, ͏here we go. It’s all my fault͏.” Honestly, who hasn’t screwed up their skincare routine? Charissa’s honesty isn’t just relatable—it’s straight-up charming. When these ladies say they’re gonna keep it real on their podcast, they absolutely do. That’s why they’re the queens of NFL broadcasting.
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