Charlize Theron says growing up her best friend was a goat and encourages fans to adopt from shelters

Charlize Theron is encouraging people to turn to crowded shelters when they want to adopt a new pet. On Tuesday the actress shared images of the four dogs she has rescued over the years and explained why animals are so important to her. “A little known fact about me: As a kid growing up on a farm in rural South Africa, my only friends were animals,” she wrote in the caption. And if you think she’s kidding, she made it clear she isn’t, “I‘m not kidding, my best friend was my goat, Bok.”

Unfortunately goats aren’t usually lease friendly. “Once I moved to the US, it became clear that I couldn’t move my pet goat into a NYC apartment,” she wrote. Thankfully, “dogs were everywhere I looked –– and I haven‘t been without one since,” the actress added.

The F9 star tagged Best Friends Animal Society which is the largest no-kill sanctuary in the United States and told her 7 million followers it’s always the first place she goes when she wants a new furry heart in her life. They have over 3000 plus partner shelters and rescues with the message “Save Them All.” Which is a goal Theron wishes she could achieve herself. “If you ask me, pet adoption is the only way to go. This fall, animal shelters across the country are overwhelmed at capacity, putting tons of lives of homeless dogs and cats at risk. If I could save them all, I would (trust me), but this is gonna take all of us,” the Academy Award winner wrote.

Theron is an animal advocate that has appeared in anti-fur campaigns for PETA. She has also been involved with Wildlife Works, a global consumer project that creates solutions for wildlife conservation and, WSPA-USA, an international welfare charity, per Animal Fair. When she lent her support for Wildlife Works Theron said, “It’s something I’m very concerned about and I think a lot of people are concerned about it. I believe there are a handful of South Africans who actually realize what’s going on when it comes to wildlife protection. Wildlife Works has set up their factory in Kenya. They’re providing so much work for Kenyans so they don’t have to go and poach. They don’t have to pick up spears, kill, and destroy wildlife.”