Simon Cowell PETASimon Cowell is a man known for being a little harsh when he gives the contestants a dose of hard truth on his many reality TV shows, but in reality he is full of compassion, especially when it comes to animals.

Not only has he lent his celebrity status to important animal campaigns in the past, he took the time to sit down and chat with PETA (People for ethical treatment of animals).

Check it out below and let us know what you think of Simon Cowell’s response to the questions.

Do you think its important to adopt a dog or cat rather than buying one from a pet store?

“Well, I mean, if I was buying a dog, I wouldn’t buy it from a pet shop, I’d go to a rescue shelter. Or I’d go to a friend who couldn’t take care. It’s not where the dog came from, it’s the dog. … I get really annoyed when people start telling me about the make and the model of their dog like [for] a car. … A dog is a dog, no matter what background they’ve got. … Often, the mutts, the strays have got more personality than a highly bred pedigree.“

Why do you think some people are obsessed with buying purebred dogs?

“Well, I think the fashion accessory thing has become quite the thing here. You’ve got the rap and pop stars carrying around the highly bred dogs …. They think it’d be embarrassing to be seen carrying a mutt … when actually it would be endearing—people would think they cared more about the dog than their image. The other thing which is a problem, as you know, is they’ll make movies about, you know, Chihuahuas, and thousands of people will go out and buy Chihuahuas like in the movie.“

Right, and we’re concerned that the same thing might happen now with the first family. What do you think about their Portuguese water dogs?

“I think we’ve got to be balanced on this. I think—on a positive note, I think it’s nice that they have made an issue of buying a dog for the kids. What I think would be great would be if they also took in a shelter dog, just from anywhere, to balance it. I’ll even pay for the dog food!“

The Westminster & Crufts dog shows are always controversial because they promote purebred animals when so many mutts are dying in animal shelters. What do you think of these shows?

“Well, again, I have two thoughts about them, because I think the vast majority of people who go and watch something like Crufts or who are involved are animal lovers, not animal haters. The problem (in the U.K. at least) is that we have elitism in the dog world, which does bother me, for who’s to say what makes the perfect dog? The fact that these judges are saying that a bulldog who can’t breathe properly is the proper way to breed a dog?that’s just insane! Because, in their warped minds, that’s what a dog should look like. I’ve got a show called Britain’s Got Talent, where we have crazy dog acts, and I like those dog shows better. The dogs are having a blast, obviously having a great time.“

We see a lot of dogs chained outside like bicycles. What is your message to people who do that?

“That’s disgraceful. The awful thing about what that person doesn’t realize is that in the dog’s mind, as he’s being chained up … that dog has put his trust in the person who’s chaining him. That dog would give up his life nine times out of 10 for the person who’s chaining him up. … For a dog, under those circumstances, just to be left alone, starving to death, lonely and thirsty, is about as low as a person can go. You’ve got to have a really warped, disgusting personality to want to do something like that. That really disgusts me.“

What makes you angriest when someone is cruel to an animal?

“I think the fact that they get an enjoyment out of it. I think the disrespect—a dog’s sole purpose in life is to guard you, and it’s your responsibility, and the dog will give up his life for you—would literally die for you—is unbelievable! It shows a really … like Michael Vick. He should never, ever be publicly supported again. Ever. If people really knew the gory details of what he was doing …. They think it was just a dogfight, but what do you do after the fights? The way they kill the maimed dogs.“

Did you know that several of your American Idol graduates have gone on to help animals? Carrie Underwood, Reuben Studdard and Kellie Pickler are, for example, all vegetarians and are all on PETA’s “sexiest vegetarian” list. If you know someone is good with animals, does that make you more inclined to be kind to them after they perform?

“Well, funny enough, there’s normally something that connects me to them. Certainly with Carrie, the second she walked in, I sensed a real kindness about her, and I think it’s part of her appeal. And to me, it just shows that you’re a nicer person. So I’m not surprised to hear all of that, to be honest with you. I’ll do more to encourage it. We’ll put it on the questionnaire!“

So who wants to hug Simon now? Who’s planning on bringing a mutt to their American Idol audition?