American actor Chris Evans urged people to adopt rescue dogs as he shared the first time he met his pet, Dodger.

The Hollywood star used National Pet Day to encourage adoption with the footage.

The video shows Dodger wagging his tail before attempting to get through the bars with Evans saying he “knew right away” the dog was coming home with him.

He wrote on Twitter: “This is the moment we met. He was trying so hard to stay seated even though he desperately wanted to get out.

“I knew right away that he was coming home with me, so I took this video to always remember our first hello. Rescue dogs are the best dogs!!”

Evans had visited the shelter as part of filming for his 2017 film Gifted and has previously said he “saw this one dude and he didn’t belong here”.

“They aged him at about one, he acts like a puppy, he’s got the energy of a puppy, he’s just such a sweetheart, he’s such a good boy. He loves dogs, he loves kids, he’s full of love,” he told People last April.

In September he shared footage of him wrestling with Dodger on the floor when they were reunited after 10 weeks.