Brazilian pet shops display shelter animals in secret

Priceless Pets encourages people to adopt an abandoned animal instead of buying one, by secretly placing them in the windows of pet stores.

In Brazil, there are an estimated 30 million abandoned dogs and cats. That results in overcrowded animal shelters, where many sadly die from disease or maltreatment. The stigma attached to shelter animals means that people would rather pay for a pet from a store than adopt a preowned animal for free. But a clever campaign, run by Priceless Pets, is trying to change that, by showing consumers that shelter animals can be just as lovable, loyal and sweet as their price-tagged counterparts.

The NGO has been running its #savealife campaign across Brazil, placing abandoned animals in the windows of participating pet stores, without the knowledge of customers, who browse the animals without bias. Secret cameras captured customers forming an emotional connection with an abandoned animal, before being informed that their new pet was free to adopt, as part of the clever marketing campaign.

Any pet store in Brazil can participate in the scheme by contacting Priceless Pets to schedule an event. Could this project work in other countries?