‘Dancing With the Stars’ Winner Bobby Bones on Having Dog, Stanley: ‘It’s Something to Care About’

Bobby Bones does not currently have a girlfriend or a child, but he does have a dog. The reigning Dancing With the Stars champ is opening up about his beloved bulldog, Stanley, and why he wanted to add a pet to his already chaotic lifestyle.

“I would like to have kids at some point, I guess,” Bones told PEOPLE. “But I love dogs. It’s just something to care about. I have had trouble with commitment and with a dog, you just love them and they love you back. I think for me it’s almost like therapy.”

Bones previously had a dog, Dusty, for 15 years. But when he passed away, Bones wanted something to fill the void, and along came Stanley.

“I had been feeling a little lonely and I travel so much and do all these shows now — which is awesome — but I’d like to have a buddy,” Bones explained. “I just figured at some point some dog would arrive in my life and it was him.”

The Arkansas native acknowledges that his life, which includes not only his award-winning radio show, but also serving as a mentor on American Idol, and touring with his band, the Raging Idiots, leaves him not much time for anything else.

“I mean, I got a dog because with this schedule, I can’t keep a girlfriend or I can’t get a girlfriend — whichever one,” he added.

Not that having Stanley isn’t without its share of struggles. Bones admits Stanley, who he just rescued from his swimming pool, has been a challenge.

“I’m a single dad here,” Bones quipped. “He has totally ruined my sleep cycle. At first, it was every four hours that he had to go out because his bladder is so small. And then it was five hours and now it’s six. So yeah, it’s becoming a little more manageable.”

Bones adopted Stanley after no one else wanted him, because the pup was wild and chewing everything. But now, the beloved pet is learning to adjust to Bones, and Bones is also acclimating to Stanley as well.

“The good thing is that when he gets tired, he doesn’t chew as much,” said Bones. “I wish they would have hamster wheels for bulldogs! But yeah, at first I was like ‘How am I supposed to love this dog? All he’s doing is chewing everything and needs to go outside every 30 minutes.’ But now that I have had him for [longer], I do really love him.”

Stanley might have made Bones’ already chaotic life even more so, but the advantages far exceed the challenges.

“He’s been good for me,” Bones shared. “I’ve been sleeping better. I do have to make sure he is taken care of. I don’t know if it is slowing me down, but it has made me think about things in a non-selfish way because usually it’s about me, like ‘Where am I going and how am I going to get there and when my next job is and what time?’ And now it’s like, ‘Has the dog been out? Has the dog been fed?’ I don’t know, there is just something about having him here.”

The 39-year-old will turn 40 next April, which for him can’t come soon enough.

“I’m kind of looking forward to finally turning 40,” Bones conceded. “Because at 39, all you think about is turning 40. So I’m like, ‘Let’s just get to 40.’ I mean, c’mon. It doesn’t freak me out. The only thing that freaks me out is that I just have to meet a girl. Maybe it’s me. I have a dog now! Maybe that will change things.”

Photo Credit: Getty images / Jeff Kravitz