Bollywood actor Imran Khan, who is getting rave reviews for the trailer of his forthcoming movie "Delhi Belly", has urged people to follow his lead and adopt dogs instead of buying them through a new ad for animal welfare organisation People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

The ad features the 28-year-old with his adopted dog, who passed away recently. The message on the ad reads: "Tony Changed My Life. You Can Change a Homeless Dog's Life. Please Adopt." The shot was captured by ace photographer Avinash Gowariker.

"The fact is that there are dogs and cats and all kinds of animals roaming around the streets. Very often people buy dogs, buy cats - they see them as toys or as fashion accessories. They get bored of them and they ... throw them out of the house. That's a very horrible thing to do, " said Imran in an exclusive video for PETA.

Imran, who made his debut with "Jaane Tu...Ya Jaane Na" in 2008, adopted his dog Tony after his friend found him wandering in the streets. Imran filed a complaint with the police and learned that the person Tony had been living with had thrown him out of the house.

"Ultimately it boils down to how much you care. I care a lot about animals. If I see an injured animal, sick animal and essentially any animal I feel I could help in some way, I do that, " added the actor, who hopes to open his own animal shelter some day.

According to PETA, around 25 million homeless dogs struggle to survive on the streets in India.