When Rachel Crow made her national debut as one of the youngest finalists on the first season of The X Factor, she was open about her childhood adoption story—and now that her powerful voice is hitting theaters around the world in Rio 2, Crow was eager to team up with peta2, PETA’s youth division, to encourage a different kind of adoption: giving a home to dogs and cats from animal shelters. In a brand-new peta2 ad, available here, she appears hugging canine pal Pixel next to the words “Adopt—Don’t Buy. Everyone Deserves a Chance.”

In an exclusive video interview with peta2, Crow talks about how her grandmother—an animal control officer—always encouraged her family to have  their dogs and catsspayed or neutered and to steer clear of pet shops, where the puppies for sale often come from cruel and severely crowded puppy mills, which Crow calls “horrible places.” And that’s just one of the many reasons to adopt and never buy. “There are a lot of other dogs in the world that need a home,” she says. “You’re giving the dog a second chance, and I’m big on second chances.”

Six to 8 million cats and dogs end up in U.S. animal shelters every year, and roughly half of them have to be euthanized because there simply aren’t enough good homes for them. For every puppy or kitten purchased from a breeder or pet store, a dog or cat in an animal shelter loses his or her chance of finding a home. The best way to help dogs and cats is to adopt and never buy—and, of course, always to spay and neuter.

Crow joins a growing list of celebrities—including Lea Michele, Kellan Lutz, P!nk, Cody Simpson, Daniella Monet, Sierra McCormick, China Anne McClain, and Ke$ha—who have teamed up with peta2 to help animals.