Millie Bobby Brown's miniature poodle Winnie debuts on Dogue

“Winnie!” Millie Bobby Brown calls out from a makeup chair. Her voice starts at a high octave, singsongy, the way you talk to dogs or babies. But Winnie, her 6-year-old miniature poodle, doesn’t pay attention. She is busy trotting around the pristine white penthouse set, looking for a tennis ball with such fervor that you feel she would search for it forever. She can’t keep this up, however—she’s got a photo shoot to do.

When Brown goes to fetch Winnie for the first shot, Winnie still doesn’t want to give up. “Winnifred Jones,” Brown ultimately says, her voice stern and going full-name mode to signal she means business. (Though, for the record, Winnie’s full name is actually Winnie the Poohdle.) At this, she settles down. Luckily, Winnie came to her Vogue photo shoot camera ready, curls soft and bouncy, all set to smize—and when it’s time to pose, she is an unequivocal star. She cuddles up to Brown, flops down adorably, and quickly finds her light.

Woman in a red sweater smiling as she cuddles a fluffy beige dog on a bed.

Millie Bobby Brown wears a J.Crew sweater. Photographed by Paul Hempstead

Woman in a red sweater cuddling a fluffy beige dog, smiling warmly at the camera (close embrace).

Photographed by Paul Hempstead

After all, it may be her first shoot as a cover Dogue, but Winnie is no showbiz newcomer. Since Brown adopted Winnie as a puppy, just before lockdown in March 2020, she has been on set with her for the films Damsel and Enola Holmes plus multiple seasons of Stranger Things. Winnie has starred in press videos and even made an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Winnie knows movie magic well—fake blood, screaming, and stunts—but she also has a miraculous presence in Brown’s real life too. She learned deep-pressure therapy and will put her paws on Brown’s chest when she’s having a panic attack to help calm her down. “She’s a little genius. I got her to help me with my anxiety and she’s completely changed my life,” Brown says.

Offscreen, Winnie leads a dreamy existence on the Georgia farm where 22-year-old Brown lives with her husband, Jake Bongiovi, and their daughter. How is Winnie with the toddler? “She does a really good job of being a big sister. She’s really patient,” Brown says. In all, the family has 10 dogs and a plethora of farm animals. Brown’s love of animals also led her to start Joey’s Friends, a dog rescue organization, in 2022.

“She loves to be on the farm,” Brown says. “And when I say on the farm, I mean Winnie is the only dog that actually gets under the fencing, and she likes to be with the pigs. So when the pigs are kind of in their mud pile, you’ll see Winnie out there laying and rubbing in the mud pile too.” Whether rolling around in the mud or posing for a fashion magazine, Winnie seems to be right at home anywhere—as long as she’s near Brown.

Woman sitting on a white wooden floor in a bright living room, with a small fluffy dog walking toward the camera.

Photographed by Paul Hempstead

Small brown fluffy dog on a white floor chasing a green tennis ball; an old chipped chair and green table leg are to the left.

Photographed by Paul Hempstead

Below, Brown answers Vogue’s Dogue questionnaire.

Vogue: What is Winnie’s best quality?

Millie Bobby Brown: I would say her intelligence and her understanding of the English language. She fully understands full sentences.

Who would voice Winnie in a movie?

I’m not sure which actor, but I do know it has to be someone French. Like a French woman with a very strong French accent.

Describe the voice you use to talk to Winnie.

Like a teacher. Like, “Get here, right now!” Definitely stern and definitely like, “Three…two…one.” It has to be like a teacher, otherwise she just thinks I’m playing. She needs to know I mean business.

Woman in a cream knit sweater holding a fluffy brown poodle indoors by a window, looking at the camera and smiling.

Thom Browne cardigan. Photographed by Paul Hempstead

What is your dog’s weirdest nickname, and how did you come up with it?

Her main one is Winniehausen. [Editor’s note: It’s pronounced like a German word.] The other one is Winnifred Jones, which is not her name or even her full name, but it’s just a name that we say if she’s being bad.

Where is one place you wish you could take Winnie?

I want to take Winnie to a big lake, maybe Lake Tahoe or Lake Powell. Winnie loves the water. She loves to swim. And I think lakes for me are just less anxiety provoking [for Winnie’s safety] than the ocean.

What is the strangest place you’ve taken her?

I would say probably The Tonight Show. I mean, probably not the normal place to take your dog. Other than that, she’s been to the Upside Down.

If you could tell your dog one thing, what would it be?

That I genuinely don’t know what I’d do without her. I wish she could know how grateful I am for how much love she’s given me over the years.

Fluffy brown dog holding a green tennis ball in its mouth on a patterned rug indoors

Photographed by Paul Hempstead

Fluffy small dog with cream fur resting inside a wooden barrel, wearing a blue and red sweater.

Hermès blanket and bucket basket. Photographed by Paul Hempstead

What is the most human thing your dog does?

When I’m traveling, and sometimes I can’t take her out at a certain time, she pees and poops in the bathroom. It’s almost like she knows that’s where everyone goes, so she has to do that. It’s honestly maybe the most genius thing ever.

What is the most dog thing your dog does?

Play catch. It is insane how much she loves to play catch. It is just pretty incessant, but we love her for it.

Woman in a cream knit sweater holds a fluffy beige dog toward the camera, indoors on a white wooden floor with a city view outside the windows.

Thom Browne cardigan. Levi’s jeans. Photographed by Paul Hempstead

What is her full name?

Winnie the Poohdle.

Astrological sign?

Capricorn.

Favorite toy?

The ball. Any ball, even a ping-pong ball.

Close-up of a fluffy light brown dog wearing a blue sweater with an orange stripe, indoors on a wooden chair edge.

Hermès blanket and bucket basket. Photographed by Paul Hempstead

Person partially visible behind a large fluffy beige dog standing on a turquoise surface, with a red apple in the foreground.

Photographed by Paul Hempstead

Favorite meal?

Anything I eat. But if I make her something, she loves ground beef and a grain, vegetables, and Alaskan salmon oil. It’s good for her joints and brain.

Worst habit?

Going to the bathroom in the house.

Strangest habit?

She doesn’t walk on grates. Like in New York City, she just won’t walk on a grate at all. And it’s funny, because I don’t like to walk on grates. If I walk on five grates at a time, I have to say the word toast. So I feel like, innately, because we’re kindred spirits, she knows that we can’t walk on grates. And she likes to sleep with things of mine.