Longtime animal supporter and dog lover Bob Barker will bid farewell to “The Price is Right” on June 6 after 35 years of hosting the popular TV game show.
CBS will air two primetime specials tomorrow and Thursday to commemorate Barker’s long career, which included imploring the TV audience with his signature sign-off, “Bob Barker reminding you: Have your pets spayed or neutered. Goodbye, everybody.”
Barker, in an interview with USA Today, says his affection for animals began when he was 6 after his father died. “My earliest memory includes animals,” he says. “I remember having little puppies before I ever went to school.”
Barker grew up with his mom in a two-story hotel in South Dakota, where he says he kept dogs up on the roof. “They’d follow me every place I went.”
Barker will leave the bulk of his multi-million-dollar estate to animal-related charities, including the DJ&T Foundation (named for his late wife Dorothy Jo and mother Tilly), which he established to offer grants to spay-neuter clinics across the country.
He also plans to spend more time with his Golden Retriever-Chow Chow mix Jessie. When asked what has kept the 83-year-old spry for so long, he responds: “Dogs – and tequila.”
The specials will air Wednesday and Thursday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.