If your kids are dreaming of adding a furry friend to the family, they’ve probably taken crayon or pencil to paper to draw their vision of the perfect family pet. Now, a clever new program will help them find their ideal pet — while also helping a shelter dog find their forever home — based on their sketch.
With approximately 3.1 million dogs entering shelters every year in the U.S., Pedigree’s new Rescue Doodles program is giving kids the chance to find their ideal dog by simply sketching what they want them to look like. The program uses artificial intelligence technology to match a child’s drawing with a similar-looking, adoptable dog nearby.
How To Try It
To match a doodle with an adoptable dog, simply snap a photo of your child’s drawing and text it, along with the word “Doodle,” toâ¯717-670-6675 now through April 30. You will receive a text back with a dog available for adoption near you.
“Every dog deserves a loving home, and Rescue Doodles is the latest program in a long line of initiatives from the Pedigree brand promoting adoption,” Jean-Paul Jansen, vice president of marketing for Mars Petcare North America, said in a press release. “This program is unique because it takes a simple, everyday activity for children — doodling — and turns it into a fun way add a new member to the family.”
While Rescue Doodles is a fun starting point for adding a dog to the family, Pedigree is reminding potential adoptees that there are many factors to consider when adding a dog to your family, including lifestyle, activity level, other pets and children. Families should schedule a meet and greet with local shelters and potential Rescue Doodle matches to make sure that particular pup is a good fit for their situation before proceeding with the adoption.
The program is powered by Adopt-a-Pet.com, which connects people with adoptable pets from more than 19,000 animal shelters and rescues nationwide. If you do not find a match with Rescue Doodles, Adopt-a-Pet narrows down your search to nearby dogs based on age or breed, including purebred dogs and puppies in need of homes.
You can learn more about adopting a dog with Pedigree’s Adoption Guide or take a look at this comprehensive guide to adopting a pet from PetFinder.
This story originally appeared on Simplemost. Checkout Simplemost for additional stories.
