Finding puppy love is as easy as a swipe to the right. Many dogs use Tinder to find potential dates, but the app is now hooking up New Yorkers with the right kind of canine.
Social Tees, an animal rescue organization based in the East Village, and interns at The Barn ad agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH), are using Tinder to help rescue dogs and find them a loving home.
BBH's The Barn is known for its Underheard in New York awareness initiative that received award-winning recognition for helping the homeless.
Just like regular Tinder profiles, the puppy profiles include the name, age and about information for dogs that are looking for love. Tinder requires users to have a Facebook account to sign up for swiping, so Social Tees set up ten separate Facebook pages for the pups. One particular 9-week-old pup profile reads, "Single and ready to mingle!"
Social Tees and BBH's The Barn began listing puppy profiles July 31 in an adoption attempt to match the 10 million users with a furry friend. There were approximately 1,500 potential matches in less than 24 hours. Matches need to be approved by Social Tees and then the profile users are given background checks and paperwork that accompanies the adoption process.
Tinder did not collaborate with Social Tees and BBH for this rescue mission. "I have no idea how Tinder would react but I would hope they would appreciate the creativity attempt to draw more attention to animal rescue, which saves more lives," Social Tees manager Samantha Brody wrote in an email.
According to the ASPCA, approximately 7.6 million animals are sent to animal shelters across the U.S. The ASPCA listed ads on OKCupid for Valentine's Day, resulting in six dog and 35 cat adoptions.
Mario Garzo of BHH says that one dog has hooked up with a new home. It is suggested that users foster their new pet pooch for two weeks before adopting it officially to their family.
This is not the first app that had users drooling over precious puppies. BarkBuddy, a free iPhone app that went live in May, links potential owners with dogs from local shelters.
