Bree Tomasel and partner Sophia tell how their rescue puppy has made their family whole. Photo / Michelle Hyslop.
Bree Tomasel and partner Sophia tell how their rescue puppy has made their family whole. Photo / Michelle Hyslop.
ZM radio and Treasure Island: Fans V Faves host Bree Tomasel isn’t the only celebrity in her family.
The 34-year-old broadcaster and her partner Sophia Gould have another famous name under their roof – Whitney Houston, a gorgeous Cairn terrier who shares her birthday with the late singer.
And now, the self-described “dog mums” are thrilled to have added a new star fur baby to the family – a rescue puppy named Meryl Streep, who, fittingly, came to them via the TVNZ 2 reality show The Dog House NZ.
Tomasel and Gould, who adopted Whitney together in 2020, started thinking about finding their pooch a canine sibling after a few months of minding a friend’s pup at their Auckland home last year.
“It felt like the family was whole when he was here,” says Tomasel. “I said to Sophia, ‘You know, growing up we always adopted dogs and it’s the most amazing feeling in the world. We should look at rescuing one.’
“Then I ran into someone I’d worked with on a previous show, who mentioned he was working on The Dog House. I was like, ‘Are you joking? That’s me and my partner’s favourite show – and we’re looking at adopting a dog!’”
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Though Tomasel and Gould left the show – where experts match prospective owners with their perfect rescue dogs – without a new four-legged family member, they didn’t give up.
The couple took another off-camera visit to Country Retreat Animal Sanctuary, where The Dog House is filmed, and the team introduced them to Meryl. It was love at first sight.
“She ran up and just, like, hugged us,” says Gould. “It was one of those moments that felt like it was meant to be. Now Meryl and Whitney play all day together.”
Though appearing on The Dog House is familiar territory for ZM radio host Tomasel, who was named TV Personality of the Year at 2022′s New Zealand Television Awards, this was Gould’s first time on camera.
“It was actually fine,” laughs the Auckland-born nurse, “but it’s so not my cup of tea!”.
“She was amazing,” smiles Tomasel. “I tell her all the time I could never do what she does – and vice versa. I love that she’s good at all the things I wish I was good at.”
For Gould, dating someone in the public eye has taken some getting used to.
“To begin with, I’d notice people looking at us when we’d be out,” she tells. “But by now it doesn’t really faze me.”
Bree (left) and Sophia say terrier Whitney and Meryl are so doggone cute together. Photo / Michelle Hyslop.
The couple first met in 2018 on a dating app – though the relationship got off to a less-than-flying start.
“The conversation died initially because I didn’t think Bree had good chat!” laughs Gould.
Chuckling, Tomasel continues: “She always makes fun of my first line I wrote on the app. But it clearly worked!”
Despite Tomasel attempting to begin their romance with the line, “Are you good at maths?” the pair made it to a first date, meeting at a bar on Auckland’s Karangahape Rd.
“It was a slow burn,” admits Tomasel. “We didn’t rush into anything. We were both a bit guarded as we didn’t want to get hurt. But after that, we ended up hanging out pretty constantly.”
‘She (Meryl Streep) ran up and just hugged us. It felt like it was meant to be.’ Photo / Michelle Hyslop.
The loved-up star continues: “Sophia’s one of the most loyal people I’ve ever met. We all go through some shitty situations, hard relationships, break-ups or whatever, but I’ve never felt like Sophia would ever do something like that to me, which is something so rare.
“She does so much for me – supports me and laughs at my jokes, even when they’re not funny, which is lovely. And she’s just so caring. What she does for her work, you have to be a pretty amazing person”.
Gould is equally smitten.
“Bree is super-loving and generous. She’s so giving to everyone, not just me. And obviously she’s hilarious. Whenever I’m sad, she does a dance!”
“Whitney gets involved,” grins Tomasel, noting that while the lovebirds aren’t currently thinking of adding any human babies to the mix, they aren’t ruling it out.
“We have plans to make plans,” the Queensland-born presenter teases. In the meantime, the duo are more than content with their fluffy family, even if it means that leaving a TV remote lying around can be perilous.
“You know if they’ve gone silent for a while that something’s going on,” tells Sophia.
“We have to keep all our remotes in the fruit bowl now,” Tomasel laments.
“Meryl’s chewed about eight.
“Being a dog mum is a lot of work and responsibility, but we love it. The amount you get from them – the love and everything that they bring to your life… We wouldn’t have it any other way.”
