ACTOR Tom Hardy is urging dog lovers to adopt a pet from an animal shelter.
Hardy, while filming Lawless in Atlanta, spotted a homeless dog running loose on the highway and sprang into action.
He caught the dog, named him Woodstock – Woody for short – and brought him back to London.
Hardy said: “To me, a dog actually is the heart of a family in many ways, in life.
“A dog is important because its unconditional love is there.
“If a dog is there, and a dog is happy, … then you know it’s a happy home.”
Hardy and Woody have teamed up with animal rights campaigners PETA to encourage others to follow suit.
A poster showing the actor getting an affectionate lick from his pet urges people to adopt a rescue dog.
PETA say the need to adopt pets from shelters is great because many of the animals are euthanised for lack of good homes.
Abandoned animals end up on the street where they may starve, freeze or get hit by a car.
Tom Hardy is part of a growing list of celebrities – including Anjelica Huston, P!nk, Charlize Theron, Joaquin Phoenix, and Eva Mendes – who have teamed up with PETA to promote kindness to animals.
