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Swipe right on Tinder to hook up or adopt a dog

Swipe right on Tinder to hook up or adopt a dog

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A New York City animal rescue organization is hoping that Tinder's massive pool of date-seekers will swipe right for something a bit different: dog adoption. The rescue group, Social Tees, has partnered up with a creative agency to fill out profiles for 10 dogs in need of a new home. The profiles have bogus ages attached to put the dogs in front of more people, but real details about each dog's age, demeanor, and expected adult size are filled out beneath It's a small step; 7.6 million dogs are abandoned every year in the United States alone. But repurposing the app to create "puppy love" (the campaign's name) has proven very effective.

TechCrunch reports that over 1,500 matches have been made thus far — presumably the no-kill shelter doesn't often swipe left — and one of the 10 dogs has already been placed under the care of a new owner. Sure, it's a weird use of Tinder, and PetFinder or your local rescue are both more surefire ways of finding a new friend. But with so many dogs in search of good homes, Social Tees and agency BBH deserve credit for pursuing every possible avenue. They've even managed to follow Tinder etiquette: there are no group shots with other dogs or photos involving a tiger in sight.