Ireland Baldwin's mission: Getting people to 'adopt not shop' pets this holiday season

Ireland Baldwin’s holiday is going to the dogs! The 20-year-old has teamed up with The Humane Society of the United States and her adorable pup Kota in a new PSA to encourage others to adopt their pets from a shelter this holiday season.

Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger’s daughter has firsthand experience when it comes to rescuing animals. “Kota was a dog that I actually rescued off the street," Ireland said in the video, while donning a matching Santa hat as her Husky dog.

Ireland rescued her dog Kota Photo: The Humane Society of the United States

She added, “I can’t say no to somebody who bites my hand and who looks like David Bowie.”

Ireland’s passion for saving animals began at an early age, when she sought to create a safe haven for those she viewed as in danger. The brunette beauty said, “I had these crazy, high ambitions to start my own sanctuary. It was called Animal Town. I wanted to rescue and save like every animal in the world and do whatever I could.”

And that even included the worms in her backyard! She explained, “I thought the worms were in danger in my backyard because my gardeners were working back there, and I’d collect all of them to start my own worm sanctuary.”

The animal advocate is striving for fans to adopt their pets, rather than purchasing since many puppies come from puppy mills. "I've seen firsthand how dogs are treated in puppy mills. I've seen videos. I’ve gone on crazy expeditions with my mom," she said. "It's always been a very, very soft subject for me and something I'm very, very passionate about."

The David Bowie fan shows off her tattoo of the singer Photo: FilmMagic

Ireland continued, “We've rescued and saved all kinds of animals since I was a little girl and it was always something that.... Nothing even going on in my own personal life affected me more than seeing animals suffer, and I wanted to do whatever I could to change or put my footprint [on it]."

The model joins a roster of celebrities including Ian Somerhalder, Kaley Cuoco, Kesha and Jenna Dewan Tatum who have teamed up with The Humane Society of the United States to promote animal protection. For more information on how you can adopt a pet visit: http://theshelterpetproject.org.

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