Tom Holland and Zendaya play with rescue puppies: ‘Puppy heaven’

Two actors have been dating since 2016

Tom Holland and Zendaya recently had a puppy play date.

On Thursday 5 October, both actors took to social media to share clips and photos of the two of them with puppies while visiting the Battersea Dogs & Cats Home rescue centre in London.

Holland posted a carousel of photos on his page, including close-ups of many adorable sleeping puppies, as he was seen wearing a blue and white hazmat suit, which some in the comments speculated may have been to either prevent germs from getting to the puppies before they get vaccinated, or to avoid them from leaving any scent on the animals.

And he couldn’t not include a photo of Zendaya, who could be seen sitting while holding a puppy on her lap.

Zendaya also shared footage of the visit on her Instagram Story of her holding one of the puppies.

“@Battersea puppy heaven,” the 27-year-old actress wrote in her Instagram Story. Alongside another snap, she shared: “Like … are you kidding me?” as a sleeping pup laid in her arms.

Zendaya then posted a clip of her stroking a puppy, writing: “Got the lil legs going lol. Noons gonna be so mad when he smells me @battersea,” referring to her dog Noons, who has his very own Instagram account.

Battersea also shared the pair’s posts on its Instagram Story. “Thanks for visiting us and supporting rescue @zendaya,” the animal shelter wrote.

“They loved you! Thank you for visiting @tomholland2013,” Battersea continued alongside the actor’s carousel.

“Tom and Zendaya visited Battersea to find out more about the work we do to support rescue dogs and cats and to meet some of the animals currently in our care,” a spokesperson for the rescue added in a statement to People. “It was lovely to welcome them to Battersea.”

The pair first met while playing Peter and MJ in the 2017 Marvel film Spider-Man: Homecoming. The two first sparked rumours that they were dating that year.

Celebrating Zendaya’s birthday in September 2021, Holland posted on social media, making the couple “Instagram official”.

“My MJ, have the happiest of birthdays,” he captioned a photo taken in a dressing room, which showed Holland in his Spider-Man costume and Zendaya in the mirror. “Gimme a call when you’re up xxx.”

In December of that year, they made their red carpet debut together for the Hollywood premiere of Spider-Man: No Way Home.

The two have largely kept their relationship on the more private side, which Zendaya revealed in a recent interview with Elle is because of her rise in fame.

“Before, I could get away with going places and getting in and out. But in Boston [last spring], I would end up going right back home, because it was really overstimulating,” she pointed out. “Everybody would go hang out at a bar or something, and I’d be like: ‘I’d love to, but I think I could ruin everybody’s night. Because it’s just not going to be fun once I’m there.’”

“Parts of my life, I accept, are going to be public,” she added.