Kristen Bell Shares Why She Adopted Her Dog: 'I Wanted a Family Member, Not a Handbag'

Before Kristen Bell became a mom to her daughters Lincoln and Delta, she had a little practice with her fur baby Lola.

“I have treated all my dogs like my kids,” she told PEOPLE. “To me, they’re just kids I didn’t birth.”

With that attitude towards animals, Bell sees welcoming a pet into your home as a serious decision. That’s one of the reason she chose to adopt.

“I chose to adopt as opposed to going to a breeder because I wanted a family member, not a handbag,” Bell shares in a video (with Lola by her side) to celebrate the opening of the Wallis Annenberg PetSpace. “It should be less about the purchase and more about connecting with a someone who also needs some companionship.”

A vocal supporter of adoption, Bell is speaking about the subject again for the Wallis Annenberg PetSpace. The animal-centered community space recently opened in Playa Vista, California, and features interactive adoption spaces, an education center for both pets and their parents and a learning institute dedicated to supporting and strengthening the human-animal-bond.

Along with Bell, Charlize Theron is also showing her support for the new one-of-kind center with a video featuring her two adopted dogs Johnny and Berkley.

In the clip, the Academy Award-winning actress encourages all potential pet parents to adopt their own “beautiful,” “weird” furry friends.

“You don’t need a purebred dog,” Theron says at the end of the video.

To learn more about the Wallis Annenberg PetSpace and the services it offers, visit the website.