“We like to name our dogs after celebrities,” says Nationwide member Michelle M. “We adopted Billy at 1 year old. So, since he already responded to ‘Billy’—and it suits him—we kept the first name, and tried to think of a celebrity whose on-screen personality matches his own.” The natural choice? Academy Award-winning actor and director Billy Bob Thornton. Thus, Billy Dog Thornton was wackily named.
Like Billy Bob, Billy Dog Thornton has quite a wide acting ability ranging from very dramatic and serious to sweet and silly. And, like his namesake actor, Billy is no wallflower—he loves to take center stage and make it his own (even when center stage means the space between his mom and her silver screen). “Billy is full of personality,” Michelle says. “To express that he dislikes me working late, he pops up into the space between my monitor and my keyboard at my desk and just sits there until I get up. He's so goofy!”
Unfortunately, Billy Dog Thornton doesn’t qualify for SAG benefits, so he got protection from the next best thing: Nationwide pet insurance. “Nationwide was offered through my employer at a group discount,” Michelle says. “After reaching out to a few friends to find out what they thought about Nationwide pet insurance, I heard nothing but great things. It was a no-brainer!”
Michelle M. Nationwide member since 2023
