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Miranda Morrison with Animal Ark Rescue had a brilliant idea about how to get her favorite long-stay dog, Henry, adopted – and it involved pizza and dating.
Right away I’m sure you’re thinking this is the typical “invite a dog out for a pizza date” temporary foster idea. But this is something covert and clever.
Miranda signed Henry up for Tinder.
We know that what matters when matching a dog with an adopter is all about personality. As Miranda began thinking about the best match for Henry, she also thought about some of the weird things she encountered during her single days.
She told us:
“He is a very active boy, loves to get out and go on adventures. After a long day, he is content to cuddle up on the couch and watch TV and snuggle with you. Henry loves people and other dogs, but tiny humans make him nervous (small children). I decided that the best match for Henry would be an active and outdoorsy person with no children and no plans for children in the near future, so I thought young adults would be a perfect demographic to target for potential adopters. I vaguely remember silly things from Tinder in my single swiping days. I think I once matched with Pizza? I thought, what if I make Henry a profile, that would be worth a shot.”
(I would 100% sign up for Tinder if it matched me with the perfect slice of pizza.)
Creating a profile for Henry was easy for Miranda. He’s her favorite dog at the shelter. She fostered him for a time and thought about adopting him, but she already has a full house.
Her advice for anyone wanting to do get potential adopters to swipe right is to start with a great photo.
Miranda said:
“That photo is actually one of my favorites because you can see his blue eye and his brown eye, plus his signature happy Henry grin. I tried to choose other pictures that showed off his personality: Always smiling, adventurous, outdoorsy, on the go, playing with dogs, cuddling, playing in the water, and eating sweet potato fries.”
Her tips on Tinder bio writing are to keep it short.
“I included what he is looking for in a match. His job at the Good Boy Corporation is obvious because he is such a Good Doggo (his position). He is an obedience school graduate and knows: ‘sit, come, down, leash manners, and is house-trained.’
Although Henry hasn’t been adopted yet, he’s got a lot of people checking him out.
This isn’t the only bright idea Miranda and the Animal Ark Rescue team has come up with for their long-stay dogs. Their most successful one is their monthly dog hikes, which were recently featured on the Maddie’s Fund blog. The event is open to the public and several of the hikers have gone home with a new best friend.
In February, the rescue is continuing with the dating theme by hosting a Speed Doggy Dating event.
Miranda explained:
“The event will pair 10-12 long stay dogs [like Kinsley pictured above] each with a single volunteer. The dogs and volunteers will be assigned a station. Participants will rotate through the stations to meet and greet, play with, and ask questions about the dog. After 7 mins the participants rotate [to another dog’s station]. Participants will be given something to write notes and names of dogs they liked.”
While it’s likely that Tinder will catch on to the non-human profiles popping up on their service, the big lesson for shelters and rescues is to be bold in your adoption marketing. Don’t be afraid to try something different.
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