For people who might be on the fence about adopting a new family member, the perfect photo can be a eureka moment that communicates, “that is my dog.”
And with shelters across the country overcrowded with adoptable pets — from guinea pigs to German shepherds — creating more opportunities for people to stumble upon their new family members is of utmost importance.
Pet retailer Chewy teamed up with animal shelters in South Florida, Boston, and Seattle, to showcase some of their adoptable pets — not just with perfect lighting or puppy-dog eyes, but with some adorable Halloween costumes.
“Chewy has donated all sorts of items to shelters, from holiday toys [and] Halloween costumes, to essential items they need such as food, medications, and treats,” Diane Pelkey, Chewy’s vice president of communications and public relations, told Good Good Good.
“These moments help brighten the mood of both shelter staff and the animals, and bring the festive spirit during a special time of year. Adoptable pets often attend Halloween and holiday events, so having costumes available to wear allows their personalities to shine and prospective adopters to see a different side to them.”
At Saving Sage Animal Rescue in South Florida, one of the biggest show-stoppers was Miley, a 5-year-old female Pitbull who has been at the shelter for two years.
Dressed as a dog-sized disco ball, she shined for the camera, and was marketed as a “ball of energy” who “would love to find a dancing partner for her disco ball.”
Saving Sage also showed off Cashmere, a 5-year-old adoptee who donned a set of hair rollers fresh out of the salon.
Goldie, the cat (turned bear) made the perfect cuddle companion, while Xena was on cloud nine in her rainbow costume.
Pelkey said these adorable moments can attract more adopters when exciting holidays approach.
“The holiday season, which kicks off with Halloween, is one of the most popular times to adopt pets,” Pelkey said. “We want to encourage future pet parents to bring home these animals to make holidays happier and more fulfilling for both of them.”
Furry friends at the American Rescue League of Boston also turned heads, with some adorable kittens who couldn’t quite fit in their lion’s mane.
Their critters also dressed up, with Drew the guinea pig donning a bumblebee look, and Mumu the guinea stunning as a bright red fire engine, though the rescue was sure to clarify that he “unfortunately can’t help extinguish fires.”
“We can think of pets’ photos online kind of like their social media profile, featuring their best photo. When potential adopters are searching for a pet online, sometimes they are looking for a specific breed, age, or size in a future pet, but often they are looking at photos and which one they have an instant connection with,” Pelkey added.
“The best way to present these animals and attract adopters is by showing off a pet’s unique attributes and personalities.”
This was especially true for Paco, a senior Chihuahua whose granny costume is perhaps the most accurate in the bunch.
“Shelters and rescues are also often operating with a lean team with hundreds of animals under their care,” Pelkey said, “so they have expressed how grateful they are for professional photos.”
The Seattle Humane Society was certainly grateful for this opportunity, highlighting dogs Iggy (who brought home the bacon in a fluffy pig costume), and Minnie Mouse (a three-legged female whose witch costume was the total opposite of her sweet personality).
“We are haunted by how amazing all of the photos turned out during a recent Spooky Season collaboration… starring some of our amazing shelter dogs,” Seattle Humane wrote in an Instagram post.
“We hope to see them treated to their new families well before Halloween! Thank you to Chewy for letting them shine, and for all of these cute costumes we’ll definitely be using again.”
According to Pelkey, the majority of these animals are still available and searching for their forever home. Anyone interested in adopting them can reach out directly to the shelters involved in the campaign.
For adoptable animals outside of these areas, Chewy also has an Adoptable Pets service that connects thousands of dogs and cats with their future pet parents, based on location, personality traits, breed, and more.
“With so many amazing pets available for adoption [shelter teams] are always looking for creative ways to show off their animals,” Pelkey said, “and make sure as many potential adopters see them as possible.”
Header images courtesy of Chewy
