Although editing his directorial debut Fateh is currently his sole focus, Sonu Sood, who has also acted and produced the cyber-crime thriller, takes out time to work out with his gym partner—a puppy named Pyare Mohan. Being an animal lover, Sood has always urged people to adopt stray dogs.

“If we show love to animals, they will always reciprocate with love. I tell people to adopt; don’t shop,” says the actor, who is often seen petting and feeding cats and dogs in public places.

To promote the adoption of stray dogs, Sood has gone the extra mile and offered an informal meet and greet to people who support the cause and put it into action.

“In my gym, everyone knows that if they adopt a stray puppy, I will take them out for coffee or lunch. Many have done so. Just yesterday, someone at the gym came up to me and said that I inspired him to adopt a stray,” beams the actor, who in March this year introduced his social media followers to his furry friend, Snowy—a Labrador living in his Punjab home.

Practicing what he preaches, Sood’s son recently adopted an abandoned Indie puppy. He shares, “Ayaan adopted an Indie puppy [now called Naruto] last year when he was in Alibaug. When he realized Naruto was a motherless, abandoned stray puppy, living on the streets and fending for himself, he decided to bring him home to Mumbai.”