'Longlegs' Star Alicia Witt's Rescue Dog Is a Truly Calming Force In Her Life

If you were like a lot of us, you may have caught the new terrifying Oz Perkins movie Longlegs this weekend starring Witt alongside Maika Monroe, Nicolas Cage, and Blair Underwood. It's a scary movie and I am just never sure how actors can star in movies like this and then go home and be all happy and okay and not checking under their bed every five minutes. I guess that's why they call it acting! Anyway, one reason, at least for Alicia Witt who really gives an Oscar worthy performance in the movie, is because she has something pretty adorable to go home to.

That's her rescue dog Earnest, who sounds like he keeps the gorgeous actress and singer/songwriter pretty grounded when she's not performing, and even when she is.

People has a great interview with Witt where she explains, "He is home," says the 48-year-old Longlegs star of her little Entlebucher Mountain Dog, who she adopted from the California rescue facility Take Me Home.

"I met him at an adoption event in Venice, and I was blown away by how he was a young adult dog at that time, but he was so peaceful," Witt tells PEOPLE, "and just down for whatever was asked of him."

Related: Zach Bryan Says His Song '28' Was Inspired by His Yellow Lab Named 'Boston'

The article goes on to explain, "As an artist, "a lot of the time when we have something important in our work, we put a lot of pressure on ourselves. So we're maybe not as present as we otherwise would've been. And that does us a disservice, and it does the people we're connecting to a disservice."

But "with Ernest around," she adds, "he's so completely in the moment, and he makes me in the moment too. So any stage fright or sense of artifice I might've had through being anxious, that just vanishes."

Not since Piper Laurie as Margaret White in Carrie has there been a mom in a movie like Witt as Ruth Harker in Longlegs. It's such a tragic, dark, and harrowing performance. I'm glad the beautiful actress had her pup to go home to.

How Dogs Can Calm Us Down

Dogs do so much for us and they are sort of like nature's feel-good drug. Even just petting your dog can release oxytocin, the feel-good hormone that promotes bonding and reduces stress. Our dog's body warmth and the act of physically touching them can have a calming effect, similar to the comfort of a weighted blanket or your favorite comfy sweatshirt. When you spend time with your dog, your blood pressure goes down.

The next time you are feeling stressed or anxious, hug or pet your dog. The benefits of spending time with your pup are immeasurable.