Why Do John 5 + His Wife Rita Only Have Hairless Pets?

If you’re a fan of John 5, you undoubtedly know he has a handful of hairless pets — five cats and one dog, to be exact. And perhaps you’ve wondered what the deal is with these hairless cuties — Why only hairless animals? Who is this hairless dog? Well, we went straight to John 5 and his wife Rita to learn all about these furless felines and that hairless hound!

That’s right folks, it’s time to meet Wednesday (top left), Tele (top right), Igor (bottom left), Churro (bottom, second from left), Herman (bottom, second from right) and Vlad (bottom right)!

But before we do, there’s some business to take care of. By that, we mean John 5’s ripping new song “The Ghost,” inspired by his signature all-white Ghost Telecaster guitar.

“This song called ‘The Ghost’ is pretty much about my guitar that came out earlier this year. The guitar is, to me, the perfect guitar. It has everything; looks, durability, amazing sound, so the only thing I could do is create a song that shows all of its glory. When the guitar came out, I went right into the studio and recorded this song with the new guitar, and I couldn’t think of a more fitting title than ‘The Ghost’,” the guitarist says.

Check it out below and head here to see all of John 5’s upcoming tour dates.

John 5, “The Ghost” Music Video

Now, onto those hairless pets John 5 and Rita adore so much!

Did you have hairless pets growing up? What was your first-ever pet?

We never had hairless pets growing up.

My first pet was Charlie, a miniature schnauzer and Rita’s first pet was Tiny, who was a hairless chihuahua.

Wednesday

Tele

So… why hairless pets?

The reason for the hairless pets is because Rita is allergic and I’m such a clean freak. I love it because I don’t have to sweep up hair, so it really works out for both of us.

Rita + Vlad

Did you ever meet Ted Nude-Gent, the hairless cat that played Dr. Evil’s pet Mr. Bigglesworth in the Austin Powers movie?

I never met the hairless cat that played Dr. Evil’s sidekick, but he is very cute.

What are some of their quirkiest traits?

I think their strangest traits are that they love to slap each other, and they sweat all over the place. All of their personalities are very different, but Herman is obsessed with going outside! I have to walk him around the neighborhood on a leash.

Herman

They seem to be fond of your guitar playing. Are there any who don’t like it and go to another room? Are there certain styles of music they seem to be into more than another?

It is very odd but whenever I play guitar, a lot of them seem to gather around and listen, which is very odd. I don’t know how to explain it, but they’re always been around and sometimes they climb on me and get in the way but I don’t mind it.

Igor

Are there any animal rescue/shelter/etc. places you’d like to plug?

We did get our dog, Churro, from a rescue. He was left out in the desert, which I don’t understand, because he is one of the rarest dogs in the world. Knowing that we directly saved a life when we adopted Churro makes having him as part of our family that much more special.

Rescuers work tirelessly day in and day out, saving animals without looking for any reward in return.

As a huge cat lover, I would like to let you know about Kitten Rescue which is a non-profit, volunteer-run organization devoted to finding loving homes for unwanted, homeless cats and kittens. They rescue cats and kittens from the streets of Los Angeles and from City Shelter euthanasia.

Please consider fostering, volunteering or just supporting them if you are able to.