Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos opened up about introducing a new addition to their family during a recent episode of LIVE with Kelly & Mark.

During Monday’s episode of LIVE with Kelly & Mark, Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos candidly shared their thoughts about expanding their family but ultimately decided not to pursue it. The topic arose after the couple shared details of their recent Raise the Woof pet adoption week event. The show highlighted the adoption profiles of rescue pets, aiming to help the animals find new homes. The TV stars shared that the event was a huge success, with 11 dogs finding new homes – and the couple were even tempted to bring one of the pups home themselves.

“Two of our staffers adopted dogs here,” said Kelly. “We almost adopted a dog. Almost.” “Touch and go,” added Mark, to which Kelly responded, “But you owe me a dog.” The couple then admitted that despite their desire to expand their furry family, they have found it difficult due to the temperament of their dog, Lena, a Maltese Shih Tzu mix, who, they adopted in 2020.

“I want a dog,” shared Mark. “It’s very difficult to introduce a new dog into the family,” explained Kelly. “Well, I don’t think it’s difficult, but you [Mark] seem to think it’s insurmountable.” Kelly went on to explain that Lena unfortunately does not socialize well with other dogs. “Here’s what we’re trying to do,” she shared. “We’re trying to get our Lena socialized; better around other dogs. Because she’s terrified.”

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Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos urged viewers to adopt

The couple admitted they temporarily brought home a poodle puppy named Cooper, but Lena was terrified of the dog. “Lena, being Lena, scampered and ran behind Mark and hid. I was like, ‘How can you be afraid of a dog who is basically the size of a hamster right now?'” said Kelly.

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Chewie and Lena

She continued: “We took her to Central Park to socialize, where the dogs run free. And it was all going kinda well. She saw a toy poodle, Freddie the toy poodle, and they seemed to be getting along. And then these two big dogs got into a scuffle, and then Lena was scratching at our legs like, ‘I told you, it’s not safe here! These dogs are wild!'”

Despite the couple being unable to home Cooper, the puppy was soon snapped up by another family. “When a dog is up for adoption, I don’t go by breed or style, I go by temperament,” she explained. “Whomever is getting that dog is hitting the jackpot – and I haven’t said that since Lena.”

“I picked that dog up and I was like, ‘Oh, this dog is a mild-mannered, really sweet, really good dog.’ So congratulations, whoever got her,” she added. Back in February, Kelly admitted that she was “not ready” to accept the loss of the family’s Shih Tzu, who was put to sleep earlier that month. The star took to Instagram to share a heartfelt compilation video of Chewie from over the years.

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Kelly with her late dog Chewie

In the caption, she penned: “I’ve been avoiding posting this because it somehow makes it real and I’m not quite ready to let go. It’s been extremely painful to lose our beloved Chewie. We ache for her every single day. We still look for her and call to her and frankly feel lost. We are so grateful for the almost 18 years we had with this special lady. She grew up with our kids and remained at our sides when each left the nest. She waited by the front door to welcome her siblings back home when they returned for visits. She was our stoic constant companion.”

Kelly continued: “We know she is running free now somewhere warm and sunny, unburdened by her failing body. We were the luckiest family to have loved and been loved by Chewie. Thank you to The North Shore Animal League for blessing us with our fabulous girl. Finally, thank you to everyone for the beautiful messages from all of you who knew or felt like you knew Chewie.”

She concluded: “Our hearts may be broken, but are filled with the memories of joy Chewie gave us.”