Cool Ideas For Dog Adoption Events

by Maggie Marton

Published: November 10th, 2015

Scratching your head to coming up with new and innovative ideas to get people out to your next pet adoption event? Find forever homes for animals in need with outside-of-the-box ideas like these ones.

Skip the rows of crates and pens at the farmers’ market and do something unexpected for your next dog adoption event! A regular presence at a local event, like a market, is a great way to have a consistent presence in your community. But, if you need to increase adoptions or reach a larger audience, consider one of these cool ideas for an adoption event.

Puppy Delivery

Earlier this year, Uber partnered with businesses to deliver puppies for playtime in office buildings to promote Adopt-a-Shelter-Pet Day. In Canada, users could text a request to have puppies delivered for a 15-minute play session for $30—all of which the app-friendly cab company donated to shelters. In the U.S., Uber did the same in major cities like Houston and Philadelphia, delivering both adoptable puppies and kittens to offices.

Cat Cafes

Cat cafes are a worldwide phenomenon, springing up around the globe since the first opened in Taiwan in 1998. The first in the States opened in Oakland, Calif., in 2014. The café has eight to 24 free-roaming, adoptable cats, and visitors are recommended to make a reservation for an hour-long visit. Or, you can sign up for a yoga course among the adoptable felines! Other cat cafes have popped up in San Diego, Melbourne and Washington, DC, among others.

Hotel Partnerships

Consider “lending” adoptable dogs to hotels like Aloft Asheville Hotel in North Carolina. According to the hotel’s website, they get one adoptable dog at a time to stay and play at their pet-friendly hotel while their dog-loving guests get the opportunity to interact with (and, ideally, fall in love with!) the furry friend. They keep their Facebook page updated with the current adoptable pup.

Yappy Hour

Pups and Pints! Cats and Cocktails! Yappy Hour adoption events are increasing in frequency and popularity. Often hosted by locally-owned pet supply stores, like those at The Cheeky Puppy in Washington, DC, Yappy Hour events pair a fun, social evening with adorable adoptables. Local wineries and breweries are also great partners for a Yappy Hour.

Maggie Marton is the definition of “crazy dog lady” and an award-winning writer based in Bloomington, Indiana. Obsessed with dogs, she writes for numerous pet-related publications and is active in animal welfare. When she’s not reading about dogs, writing about dogs or walking dogs, she loves to hike and nap—both activities usually with her dogs. Maggie lives with her husband, John; Emmett, a pit mix; Lucas, a shepherd mix; Cooper, a pit mix; and Newt, the lone kitty (who, of course, runs the show). You can find her online at OhMyDogBlog.com.

Maggie Marton

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