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Courtesy Betty White

Growing up, all eyes were on Betty White — including those of her family's orange marmalade cat. "As my mom used to tell it, he sat on the edge of my crib every night," White tells PEOPLEPets.com. "She said that if Toby hadn't approved of me, she would've sent me back to the hospital!"

And so began White's love affair with pets. Inspired by her parents, who "were as animal-crazy as I," the actress paired her celebrated screen work with activism for animals, teaming with the Morris Animal Foundation, the Los Angeles Zoo and even creating a TV program in 1971 to showcase her friend's animals, called The Pet Set. "That was the most fun I've ever had," she says. "I'd have a celebrity friend bring his or her pet on the show, and would write the episode around their interest in animals. I was like a kid in a candy store!"

Speaking to PEOPLEPets.com from Las Vegas on Monday after accepting lifetime honors from the Morris Animal Foundation and Procter & Gamble Pet Care, the actress was overcome with emotion. "I lost it at the luncheon — everyone in the room was one of the top veterinarians in the country, or a major animal lover," she explained. "It was a tribute to those focused on making this world a better place for animals."

As for her own animal, golden retriever Pontiac, White couldn't love him more. "He's a career-change dog," says White of her pet who was trained as a guide dog but couldn't actually work in the field. "I lost my last fellow when he was 10 years old, and Guide Dogs for the Blind heard about it. They called and said they had another golden, so I went up to their facilities to meet him — and now he's mine!"

Meet more celebrity pets on PEOPLEPets.com:
Elisabeth Rohm: Physical Therapy 'Totally Healed' My Dog
Snoring Puppy, Scratching Rat Keep Celine Dion Up at Night

Kate Hogan