Jorja Fox may have new mysteries to solve every week on CSI, but she has a kindhearted philosophy about animals all figured out.

LOS ANGELES CONFIDENTIAL: You’re currently starring on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, one of the hottest shows on TV, yet it’s rumored your dream job would be to have a show on Animal Planet. Is that true?

JORJA FOX: It was one of those childhood dreams that never completely went away. I worshiped Jacques Cousteau and watched every epiosde of National Geographic that aired. I always had that dream about being somebody who was out in the field working with animals - wild animals in particular. That would be great, traveling all over the world and presenting animals to people.

LAG: Tell us about your dog and cats.

JF: I have a dog, named Ali, as in Muhammad Ali; she’s a ten-and-a-half-year-old boxer. And I have two cats, Rumplestiltskin and Sid Poitier, both 16 years old. They all came with their names, except Sid Poitier, who was originally called Sid Vicious. He started to display those traits, so I changed it to Poitier in the hope that he’d become more gentlemanly … which he did. Hey, what’s in a name?

LAG: Sounds like you have a soft spot for seniors.

JF: Yeah. It’s unfortunate that more people don’t get how great they are. You don’t have to do all that work with these wonderful older pets. They don’t chew anymore, they don’t run away anymore. [That’s] the gift of a senior animal.

LAG: And how did they all come to live with you?

JF: Well, they’re all rescues from New York. When Ali first came to LA, I tried taking her for hikes, but because she’d been living in New York City her whole life, she was terrified and would just sit down and shake. So I walked her up and down Melrose Avenue with the concrete, storefronts, and all the activity … that was the most comforting thing I could do for her.

LAG: What was your earliest introduction to animals?

JF: We were a dog family. My mom’s traditional way of adopting dogs was to go to the pound and pick the ugliest dog there, the one she thought had the least chance of getting adopted. So we really had some funny-looking dogs growing up! And then there was my grandmother, a massive animal lover who appreciated all things wild. She was a real environmentalist, which was trendsetting at the time.

Speaking of trendsetting, I’d also love to plug something I saw on TV… There’s a brand new airline called Companion Air that’s based out of Florida. There’re not fully up and running yet, but the whole idea is that they’re going to have a fleet of small private planes with the primary purpose being that people can travel on the plane with their pets. Their prices aren’t for everyone, but they’re still pretty competitive. It will surely make it easier for people to travel with their pets.

LAG: We understand that you helped open the North Central Animal Shelter here in Los Angeles last October. What kind of an experience was that for you?

**JF:**That’s so nice to say, but everyone else did the work. I just showed up at the opening. Lacey Street is my local shelter, so I’ve been there many times over the years. What really struck me was how beautifully the place has transformed. I think Los Angelenos should do themselves a favor and check it out. There’s a real feeling of hope since the day of the re-opening, the mayor [Antonio Villaaigosa] and other politicians were there, giving a press conference. The coolest thing I’ve heard in a long time was when the mayor stated that it’s the city’s goal over the next five years to convert all the shelters in Los Angeles to no-kill shelters. I don’t think people realize what a staggering number of animals are euthanized every year. Surprisingly a lot of farm animals also end up in city shelters. I’m really active in Animal Acres [animalacres.org animalacres.org], which is an amazing sanctuary for farm animals.

LAG: Is there a specific message you’d like to share with the readers?

JF: My love and passion is for all things and places wild, and to protect those things and places - not like a museum, but because [their survival] has a direct impact on everything [else] on this planet.