Hulk Hogan slammed giants in the ring, flexed for cameras, and built a pop culture empire on bandanas, handlebar mustaches, and body slams. But behind the bravado was something gentler: a man who really, truly loved animals.
And not just dogs or cats. Hogan kept chinchillas, ferrets, rabbits, birds, turtles, and even chickens. At one point, local officials in Belleair, Florida, reported he had six dogs, a cat, a rooster, five chickens, a ferret, and a house full of bird cages. The rooster? That was a pet for his daughter, Brooke.
Some neighbors weren’t thrilled. In 2005, they filed multiple complaints about noise and smells. One visit from the police found the Hogan home had so many animals that it violated local ordinances. Hogan and his wife Linda reportedly showed up to a town meeting to defend their pets—Linda even cursed at the mayor. But neither were apologetic. They loved their animals too much.
In interviews, Hogan hinted at this softer persona. “People don’t realize that I go to soccer games, play frisbee, watch The Lion King and start crying,” he told a reporter. He wanted the world to see he wasn’t just Hulk. He was also Terry—a dad, a Florida guy, an animal lover.
That love showed up everywhere. Brooke once posed in a cage for a PETA campaign. Hogan helped rescue her dog when it went missing in California. And when his own dog Duke passed away in 2021, Hogan tweeted, “I am so sad, my loyal friend Duke just passed, I love you Duke, dad.” Fellow wrestlers and fans poured in with sympathy, sharing photos of their own dogs in solidarity.
The final goodbye
On July 24, 2025, Hulk Hogan died at age 71. He passed away at home in Clearwater, Florida. The cause was reported as cardiac arrest. There was no foul play, no drugs, no scandal. Just a sudden goodbye.
WWE confirmed the news that morning. Ric Flair posted that Hulk had “been by my side since we started in the wrestling business,” and Donald Trump called him “strong, tough, smart, but with the biggest heart.”
What many missed in the tributes was the quiet legacy he left behind at home: a man who couldn’t say no to another rescue, who let his backyard fill with chickens and barking dogs, who took pride in his daughter’s fight for animal rights.
In the days ahead, fans will remember the ring entrances and the catchphrases. But maybe they’ll also picture Hogan in the backyard, in flip-flops, feeding chickens and calling for Duke to come back inside. That’s the man his animals knew. And maybe that’s the truest version of Hulk Hogan there ever was.
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