Miranda Morrison with Animal Ark Rescue had a great idea on how to adopt her favorite dog, Henry – and it involved pizza and dating.
Right off the bat, I’m sure you’re thinking this is a temporary “invite a dog for pizza” idea. But here’s something secret and clever.
Miranda signed up Tinder for Henry.
We know that it’s important to match a dog with an adopter it’s all about personality. As Miranda begins to think about who is the best match for Henry, she also thinks about some of the strange things she encountered during her single days.
She told us:
“He is a very active boy who loves to go out and have adventures. After a long day, he’s content with cuddling on the couch and watching TV and cuddling with you. Henry loves people and other dogs, but the little people worry him (young children). I decided the best fit for Henry would be someone who is active and enjoys the outdoors, has no children and has no plans for children in the near future, so I think youth will be the perfect demographic. Perfect for targeting potential adopters. I vaguely remember silly things from Tinder in my single surfing days. I think I was ever fit for Pizza? I thought, if I make Henry a profiler, that would be worth a try. ”
(I’ll 100% subscribe to Tinder if it suits me with a perfect slice of pizza.)
Miranda made Henry’s profile easy. It is her favorite dog at the shelter. She raised him for a while and thought about adopting him, but she already had a full house.
Her advice to anyone looking to get potential users to swipe right is to start with a good photo.
Miranda says:
“That photo is actually one of my favorites because you can see his blue and brown eyes, plus Henry’s signature happy grin. I tried to choose other photos that showed his personality: Always smiling, adventurous, outdoors, moving, playing with dogs, cuddling, playing in the water and eating sweet potato fries. ”
Her tip about Tinder bio is to keep it short.
“I included what he was looking for in a match. His work at Good Boy Corporation is obvious because he is a Good Doggo (his position). He is an obedient school graduate and knows: ‘sit, come, down, tie, manners and home training.’
Even though Henry hasn’t been adopted yet, he’s had plenty of people checking him out.
This isn’t the only bright idea Miranda and the Animal Ark Rescue team have come up with for their long-stay dogs. Their most successful is their monthly dog hikes, which were recently featured on Maddie’s Fund Blog. The event is open to the public and some hikers have gone home to a new best friend.
In February, the rescue is continuing with the dating theme by hosting a Dating with Speed Dogs event.
Miranda explains:
“The event will pair 10-12 dogs to stay for a long time [like Kinsley pictured above] Each person has a single volunteer. Dogs and volunteers will be assigned a station. Participants will rotate through stations to meet, greet, play and ask questions about the dog. After 7 minutes, the participants rotate [to another dog’s station]. Participants will be given something to write notes on and the names of dogs they like.”
While it’s likely that Tinder will catch up with the non-human profiles appearing on their service, the big lesson for shelters and rescues is to be bold in marketing your adoption. Don’t be afraid to try something different.
