Before the start of his European tour, international rock star Bryan Adams sat down with PETA to talk about animal rights and why loving his dogs as children led him to swear off meat for good. Here he is in his own words.

What made you decide to get involved with PETA?

I’ve been vegetarian for about 17-18 years now, since I was about 28. And of course, my motto has always been “If you love animals, don’t eat them.”

What do you think about the killing of baby seals for their fur in Canada?

I’m opposed to fur and any kind of use of animal products. I don’t eat them, and I don’t wear them. I’m not for the killing of any creature—whether it be seals, cows, dogs, anything. So anytime it comes to any kind of animal cruelty, I’m totally against it.

What made you sympathetic to animal rights? Was there one incident?

Being sympathetic to animal rights is just something that came very naturally to me. Perhaps because I used to have dogs growing up, and you know they became part of the family. And it never occurred to me growing up … I never put the whole thing of animal cruelty and that together as a youngster. But the moment I began to understand what was going on with the treatment of animals, it led me more and more in the way of the path I am [on] now, which is a complete vegan.

Want to learn how you can adopt a vegan diet? Order a free vegan starter kit today!

Need more reasons to go vegan? Watch PETA’s video “Chew on This” to find out 30 reasons why adopting a vegan diet is the best thing you can do for your health, for the environment, and for animals.