Mewow! Billboard’s Power Pets is a new feature focusing on musicians’ best friends — no, not the humans — but the furry (and some scaly and feathery!) ones who bring extra joy and companionship to artists. Celebrities will be sharing sweet details about their beloved pets and how their furbabies enrich their lives. For the second story in the installment, we talked to country artist Chase Rice.
Chase Rice may sing “you’re right there in that bench seat next to me” in his emotional tune “Bench Seat,” but nowadays, it’s Jack – his beloved dog and best friend – who sits next to him on the concert stage during his performance of that song.
“[‘Bench Seat’] was the reason I got Jack,” the country artist tells Billboard of his black Lab and the track about the healing power of dogs that was inspired by a friend’s mental health struggles. As the songwriter previously shared, Rice’s pal’s own dog saved the friend from a very dark moment by simply laying its head on his lap to create an unbreakable connection during that difficult time.
“[Jack] was originally supposed to be the puppy in the video, but it took us a year and a half to get it together, so he’s the middle-aged dog in the video,” Rice explains of the visual for “Bench Seat,” which reveals that the track is from the pooch’s point of view. “That song is the very reason that I got him. I knew the day that I wrote it that it was finally time for me to get a dog.”
Rice says that he’s always wanted a duck dog since childhood, so that’s what he looked for when he began his search. “I met a guy who works with Mossy Pond Retrievers in Georgia, and he said if you want a duck dog, get a black Lab, so we made a plan.” Now, shares Rice, Jack is “certified as a master hunter and he’s my best buddy.”
And a much-loved friend at that. “Before every meal, I have him sit and I hug him and tell him, ‘I love you and you’re the best dog I’ve ever had.’” the singer-songwriter says. “He has no clue that he’s the only dog I’ve ever had, but I’ll keep telling him that all the same.”
Rice says Jack has taught him about love and responsibility as well: “I know he’s made me a better man.”
Read on to learn more about Jack from Chase Rice.
Age: 4 years
Hometown: Nashville
Type/breed: Black Lab
Favorite toy: Water bottles. It drives me crazy, but he loves them.
Favorite nap spot: The couch, then the floor, and back and forth for no reason.
“He was the chunkier one out of the two males from [the litter I was considering]; the other one looked like the Terminator,” Rice recalls of selecting his pup. “Jack looked fat and I loved that. He’s since shaped up.”
“The time we spend and adventures we get into” are two things the singer cherishes that his dog has brought into his life. “I’ve ended up chasing birds in places I had never even heard of because of Jack and knowing I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to see him get one more bird.”
“One time this year I sent Jack on a 350-yard retrieve for a wounded mallard in Oklahoma; just a few hand signals and he was all over that duck,” recalls Rice. “That’s a long retrieve, but he did it perfectly. Just a few hours later, he was on stage with me that night partying. He’s a jack-of-all-trades: business by day, party by night.”
“I bring him on stage for one song during my set; he just sits next to me and looks for my approval at the end to not have to heel anymore and to be able to go party with the fans,” explains the artist.
As for the first time Jack went on stage? Rice says the Lab was still a puppy at the time, and was “a little nervous.” But that didn’t last. “He got used to it when I started letting him go down and run towards the crowd, because he loves people. The first time I did it was really just about me wanting to have my dog with me. He was going to training that night for about six months, and I wanted him with me as much as possible, so I brought him up there on stage. That was a tough night once he left.”
“I think he’s pretty sick of hearing anything by me at this point,” admits the singer.
Regardless of how Jack may feel about his music, that hasn’t stopped Rice from mentioning his beloved buddy in his songs. “‘Arkansas’ had a mention of him in there,” the songwriter shares. “An unreleased song called ‘October’ has his name – not sure if I’ll put that one out. He will get a bunch of songs over these next few years, I’m sure.”
Rice mentioned in a sweet March 2023 Instagram post for Jack’s 2nd birthday that his dog was “dangerously close to having a little bro.” So did the musician grow his family? “I’ve really been messing with the thought of breeding Jack or just getting another breed that’s not a working dog,” he shares. “With my schedule, it’s gonna be real tough to have two, so for now, I’m sticking with just Jack. Quality over quantity.”