Leaving My Past Behind

FIVE YEARS AFTER SAYING GOODBYE TO MODERN FAMILY, THE ACTRESS IS MOVING FORWARD FROM THE TRAUMA OF HER CHILDHOOD AND FEELING HOPEFUL ABOUT THE FUTURE: 'I WANT TO USE MY PLATFORM FOR GOOD'

- By GILLIAN TELLING

If you ring the doorbell at Ariel Winter's home, the first thing you'll hear is a chorus of barking and the excited scrambling of six (yes, six!) dogs checking out this new visitor. The second thing you'll hear is the cooing and gentle command of a dog mom who has it all under control—and who can't help but laugh at the joy her pups bring. “I always wanted a dog,” says the former Modern Family star, 27, tucking her tiny frame into a couch on the patio as her German shepherd mix Chloe sits patiently nearby. But between her busy acting schedule and troubled home life, “I was not allowed to have one growing up,” she says.

At 16, two years after being removed from her childhood home by the department of child and family services and placed permanently with her older sister, she was finally able to get Casper, a purebred Samoyed. “But then I learned about rescue dogs,” she says, “and I was just so into it.” Before she knew it, she had five more dogs. “There are a couple of things that have felt like my purpose to me, and rescuing dogs is one of them,” Winter says. She feels a kinship to the animals, who either are left to fend for themselves or have outlived their usefulness and been discarded. “They need somebody to advocate for them,” Winter says. “They can’t do that on their own. They need somebody to see them, because a lot of times they just get overlooked.” She adds, “They deserve a second chance. I don’t think a lot of people realize what that feels like and what that means. And I do. I really do.”

Having left California, Winter is thoroughly embracing her own second chance. She’s finally feeling comfortable in her own skin and living a quiet domestic life with her boyfriend of five years, actor Luke Benward, 29. But it took a long time—and a lot of work—to get here. Five years ago on April 8, Winter wrapped up her 11-season run playing Alex Dunphy on the hit series