Bryce Dallas Howard Wants to Give Animal Lovers ‘Instantaneous Dopamine Hits’ with New Project (Exclusive)

Howard is the director of ‘Pets’, a new documentary premiering on Disney+ on April 11

Bryce Dallas Howard has a menagerie of pets at home, and according to her, it has always been that way.

“My mom was so strict as a parent, but the one area where she was not strict had to do with pets. She grew up with a zillion, trillion pets,” Howard tells PEOPLE. So, from a young age, Howard was encouraged to embrace pet ownership and the responsibility that comes with it.

“I spent every single weekend mucking out the goat barn, make no mistake. But if you could prove yourself as a pet guardian, as a responsible pet guardian, it was very difficult for Cheryl Howard to turn down a pet,” she adds, which meant Bryce grew up with dogs, cats, goats, pigs, snakes, and more — all animals that helped her embrace the spectrum of emotion and care about other living creatures.

“I was very, very, very quiet. I did not talk for a very long time when I was young, and I didn’t really emote. And my parents said that the first time I laughed, I was definitely over one, maybe almost two, and they’ll never forget it. And it was because they brought home a Jack Russell terrier,” Bryce explains, adding that the pup soon had her letting out “incredibly loud” belly laughs.

Bryce hopes her new documentary Pets will give animal lovers this unbridled happiness. It appropriately premieres on National Pet Day (April 11) on Disney+.

Pets, directed by Bryce and produced by Ron Howard and Brian Grazer’s Imagine Documentaries, includes emotional stories following pet parents and animal rescuers through moments of adoption, loss, adventure, and compassion. The film is also interspersed with interviews featuring children and their beloved pets.

“It’s not just because kids say the darnedest things, but because they really have a perspective on this relationship. In many ways, it’s kind of like your first love outside of your family,” Bryce says, explaining why the children are a vital element of the documentary.

The kids also up the cute factor, which is essential for Bryce, who finds joy in adorable animal videos and hilarious pet bloopers.

“Getting to tell a story in a way with kids being our connection into the story, with kids being our Greek chorus, our narrators with these that just give you instantaneous dopamine hits,” the director says.

Overall, she is optimistic that Pets will resonate with viewers of all ages because pet ownership is a point of connection for so many.

“That relationship is something that is sought out by humans even more than becoming a parent,” Bryce says, adding, “These are common experiences that can bond all of us. And at this moment in time, I want to watch stuff that I can watch with my kids, and I want to watch stuff that will make me feel good.”

Pets premieres April 11, National Pet Day, on Disney+.