Gomez began wearing a purity ring when she was 12 years old. She is the owner of five rescue dogs and describes herself as a "huge animal lover". Gomez is close friends with Demi Lovata, whom she first met at the Barney & Friends auditions. After Gomez and Lovato posted a video blog on youtube in March 2008,miley cyrus and her friend Mandy Jiroux uploaded a parody of that video, which caught the interest of entertainment media. Reports included the theory that Gomez and Lovato might replace Cyrus. Gomez clarified there was no feud, saying: "I'm not interested in being anybody but myself, and I'm not here to replace anyone. I think that she's a wonderful performer, and of course it's a compliment. But I would like to take a different route."