'Selling Sunset' 's Chrishell Stause Asks Animal Lovers to 'Adopt Don't Shop' in New PETA Campaign

Chrishell Stause appears in PETA's new pet adoption campaign with her rescue dog Gracie

Chrishell Stause is taking a break from matching humans with homes to give some animal lovers advice on finding their next pet.

The Selling Sunset star has partnered with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) for the animal rights organization's new campaign promoting pet adoption. PEOPLE has an exclusive first look at the campaign, which includes posters of Stause, 40, cuddling up to her rescue pup Gracie adorned with phrases like "Adopt Don't Shop" and "Give a Shelter Dog a Dream Home."

The campaign and Gracie's adorable participation in its promotion come just in time for August 26th's National Dog Day. Stause hopes that those deciding to celebrate the canine holiday with a new pooch find their furry friend at an animal rescue or shelter.

"Sometimes people just want a fancy, cute dog," the Dancing with the Stars alum says in her video interview for the PETA partnership. "These dogs are in the shelter."

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In the interview, Stause goes on to describe how Gracie became part of her life, divulging that one of the reasons she decided to adopt the pup in 2016 was because Gracie and her bonded buddy Memphis had been in the shelter for seven months waiting for a home. The actress adopted both Gracie and Memphis so the friends could stay together but knew her time with Memphis would be short due to the dog's health issues and age.

"I thought of it as giving him an amazing retirement home," Stause says of her time with Memphis, who died in 2018.

Based on her experiences caring for Memphis and Gracie, Stause says she knows that there are plenty of shelter pets waiting to change a person's life for the better if they're willing to save theirs.

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"The dog that will be your best friend, that will change your life, that will be your life companion, is sitting there waiting for you," she adds in her interview, noting that "there are already too many dogs that don't have homes" to create more demand for breeders by buying pets.