Kaley Cuoco Says It’s Important ‘to Teach Our Kids,’ including Her Daughter, to Respect Animals (Exclusive)

Kaley Cuoco is raising a daughter who cares for all species.

While speaking with PEOPLE at an Oh Norman! adoption event with The Amanda Foundation in Los Angeles on Friday, Nov. 7, Cuoco, 39, shared that she believes it is essential to raise her 2-year-old daughter, Matilda, around animals.

The Flight Attendant actress, who founded the Oh Norman! eco-friendly pet brand and named it after her beloved late rescue dog, tells PEOPLE that she believes her toddler, whom she calls “Mowgli,”  doesn’t understand “a life without dogs.”

“She’s so used to dogs knocking her over, coming through petting, licking her,” she says. “It’s just part of her life. And I think it is so important being a mom of a young kid, having them around animals.”

Cuoco adds that she and fiancé, Tom Pelphrey, bring their daughter, Matilda, to the horse ranch, so the young girl is already comfortable riding horses and spending time around the large animals.

“I want her to be raised with animals and understand how to treat a dog and how to treat an animal,” says Cuoco. “We have to teach our kids”

The animal lover, who cares for a menagerie of furry friends between home and her ranch, is lucky to have a partner who is a total “dog person.”

“Thank God,” she tells PEOPLE, noting that Pelphrey, 43, doesn’t mind when Cuoco wants to add another pet to their pack.

“Even the other day, I was holding — I have a little Chihuahua named Opal who’s my heart and soul — and I said, ‘I think I want to get another Chihuahua,'” she recalls. “He’s like, ‘Oh, what’s another one?’ At this point, I could sneak one in, and I don’t even think he’d notice. Once you already have two, it doesn’t matter anymore.”

The mom-of-one urges others to consider adoption before buying a pet.

“I don’t remember a time when I didn’t have a dog,” she says. “And I always tell people, I’m like, people that don’t have dogs, I don’t understand. They bring so much joy to your life.”

Cuoco says there is a “national crisis going on” with “how many dogs are left to fend for themselves, ready to be put down, left on the streets, abused.”

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“There are so many terrible situations, and the shelters are full,” says Cuoco. “So it kills me when I hear someone goes and purchases a puppy, it’s like, please consider your shelter first. Because most people like to say, well, ‘I want a certain breed, or I want a puppy, or I want this.’ I can almost guarantee you that you can find the dog that you want at a shelter. I can almost promise that to you. And they will love you forever for it.”

To help the countless pets waiting in the U.S. shelters and rescue for forever homes, Cuoco and Oh Norman! promote pet adoption through events and social media.