Furniture company IKEA has used its profile with consumers to help spread the word about shelter pets.
Starting in Singapore with the Home for Hope initiative, life-sized cutouts of adoptable pets were displayed in stores. The cutouts had two purposes: Firstly, they gave perspective on how a pet of that size would look in a home. Then, a QR code on each cutout allowed people to download more information about the animal and its care needs – thus giving insight into the costs and responsibilities of pet ownership.
Really innovative idea, IKEA!
Stores in the USA have begun to adopt similar programs. Here’s a photo of an adoption event in Tempe Arizona:
A cardboard cutout of Daisy, an Arizona Humane Society shelter dog, on display at IKEA Tempe (photo by IKEA Tempe)
A Home for Hope display in Singapore
This YouTube video gives background to the initiative in Singapore:
There are ways we haven’t even thought of yet to encourage adoption and responsible dog ownership, but it is wonderful to a big corporate like IKEA using their influence over consumers to help shelter pets.
Kathleen Crisley, specialist in dog massage, rehabilitation and nutrition/food therapy, Canine Catering Ltd, Christchurch, New Zealand
DoggyMom.com 
What a great idea and really different too!
xxxx