Joey King Says It's 'Incredible' to Watch Her Rescue Dog Grow: She Used to Be 'Terrified of Everything' (Exclusive)

"It's so rewarding being a dog mom of rescue dogs because you truly watch them get a second life," King tells PEOPLE

Joey King couldn't be more head over heels for her rescue pup, Fable!

In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, the Kissing Booth star, 24, raves about how "incredible" it's been to watch Fable transform since the dog's adoption. King met the rescue dog while volunteering at an animal shelter in Romania — and it was love at first sight.

"I came across Fable, and she was just so sad and so sweet," the actress says. She explains that the pup was found in the woods with her siblings, and because Fable was "the runt of the litter," the other dogs attacked her and "tried to kill her off."

"She was so terrified of dogs when I first met her and just terrified of everything, but was so sweet and loving," King reflects. "And now watching, her arc has just been so incredible."

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The Bullet Train star and her fiancé, Steven Piet, introduced her on Instagram in April as the "newest member of our family." The couple are also proud pet parents to 10-year-old dog Jesse, whom King describes as a "great big brother" to Fable.

"She absolutely adores our other dog, Jesse, and loves all dogs now because of Jesse being able to show her the ropes and be patient with her," she shares. "It's just amazing to watch in real time her personality change as she becomes more comfortable."

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King tells PEOPLE that Piet and Fable are "best friends" too. Her fiancé loved the pup before he'd even met her.

"When I met Fable, he was back home, and I was in Romania, and I was like, 'I met this dog, I love her, but also, I don't want to make any decisions. I also want to get your temperature. I want you to meet her first,'" she says. "And his response was, 'If you love her, I love her. Let's take her.' And he hadn't even seen her yet!"

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"It's so special to have someone who loves animals that way because it makes it all that much more rewarding when you experience their arc together," she adds.

King can't narrow down her favorite thing about being a dog mom but says the role "means so much," especially with rescue pets, because it's "so rewarding" watching their journeys.

"You truly watch them get a second life, a second burst at life," she says. "[They] find themselves in an environment where they do not feel like they have to be in survival mode and on their toes all the time, and they really just get to relax. And the best part is the unconditional love you receive from them."

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The Emmy-nominated actress is partnering with Hill's Pet Nutrition for NBCUniversal Local's Clear the Shelters 2023 campaign, which promotes pet adoption and raises money for animal welfare causes. She says the partnership felt "so natural" because animals are "a big part of my life."

As part of the partnership, King helped adoptable pets get adorable new photos for their profiles. She calls the photos "so important," citing a 2015 study from the Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science that suggests the quality pictures "may speed up and possibly increase the number of" pet adoptions in shelters.

King calls volunteering "emotional" and admits to crying a few times during the photo sessions. But, she says, it's all worth it.

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"It's so rewarding to come and to see these animals and to hang out with them and to know that you're helping," she shares. "These animals are so sweet and loving and good-natured, and they deserve homes with people who love them."

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