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Katherine Schwarzenegger Sings the Benefits of Pet Adoption in New Book

Katherine Schwarzenegger

Adopt, don’t shop! Animal activist Katherine Schwarzenegger stopped by Us Weekly’s headquarters in NYC to share details of her new children’s book, Maverick and Me, which explains the benefits of pet rescue and adoption to young readers.

Related: Can You Identify These Internet Famous Pets?

The 27-year-old bestselling author, who was accompanied by two adorable rescue pals Elliot and Everett from the Best Friends Animal Society, pulled from a personal experience with pet adoption to tell the story of Maverick, an abandoned puppy who meets his adoptive family at a shelter.

“I wanted to write this book because I saw how kids reacted to me having my dog and the fact that you could get a dog that came with a story,” Schwarzenegger, who is the daughter of Maria Shriver and Arnold Schwarzenegger, explained to Us.

Related: Real Housewives' Cutest Pets

In 2014, the lifestyle blogger worked with a rescue ally to foster puppies — an experience that would lead her to adopt rescue pooch Maverick in May of that year.

“She called me and asked me if I would mind taking another puppy that was just 4 weeks old and found under the freeway in South Central. Obviously, I said yes and when I got little Maverick, I was feeding him out of a syringe,” Katherine wrote in 2016 on her blog.

Katherine Schwarzenegger Pet Adoption
Katherine Schwarzenegger.

“He ended up getting Parvo, which is really dangerous for puppies and after being in the hospital for a week he came back and we got him nice and healthy.”

She continued: “I ended up fostering him for longer than I usually do, but then realized that he was a little miracle pup I couldn’t let go! So now Maverick is officially a member of our family and I love the little guy!”

Of creating Maverick and Me, the young author told Us, “I had so much fun writing it. It was my first children’s book, so to be able to write something that was really fun and true and based off my dog and my experience was really really great.”

Related: Quiz: Celebrities’ Unusual Pets

The brunette beauty, who loves purchasing her pet treats from Amazon pets often posts about animal rescue and adoption on her Instagram account. The star admits that her family has played a significant role in helping her to understand the needs of animals: “I have had a very supportive family to help me along the way of learning the responsibilities of having my own dog.”

Maverick and Me is in bookstores now.

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