An animal shelter in Orlando, Fla. (The Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando) has recently been receiving a lot of publicity for its new mission to find dogs forever homes. In their effort to do this they have created an ingenious system of sorting their animals into Harry Potter houses, which they are calling “Pawgwarts.”
Courtesy: Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando
The shelter says it’s no longer continuing to label their animals by breed, but instead, by their character. This is the same way the sorting hat in Hogwarts sorts the new class of wizards. By doing this they are trying to encourage people to adopt these animals based on their personality rather than by appearance. Scientific research has proven that visual identification of dog breeds is incorrect more than 70 percent of the time. That’s why this shelter, along with the partnership of many other progressive shelters around the country, is planning to remove breed labels from the adoption process.
The shelter’s website reads, “A dog who takes to learning obedience cues or quickly figures out a puzzle has the knowledge of a Ravenclaw. A small dog who has the determination to climb and has amazing agility possesses the ambition of Slytherin house. Our affectionate happy-to-know-you dogs embody the friendliness of a Hufflepuff and a dog who embraces change and new things has the bravery known to all Gryffindors.”
Through sorting each dog into individual houses, the workers at the shelter are able to appreciate each dog for their gifts and individual dispositions, which helps them better train each dog.
So, if you are a Harry Potter fanatic and a dog lover, this may sound like an opportunity of a lifetime; the best of both worlds. At this shelter, you could find your Gryffindor soulmate, your Hufflepuff cuddle-buddy and more importantly your Harry Potter binge-watching partner. Each dog at the Pet Alliance of Orlando is eagerly awaiting to find their forever home. If you think you could provide one please reach out to them here!
For those of us that feel like we are not in a place to bring a dog into your house right now (aka all of us broke college students), but you would like to help out the cause, they still have something for you! If you go to their website, there is a donation tab where you can give 25 dollars to the cause. A small payment can make a huge difference. It will provide basic vaccines and shots for one dog in the shelter before they’re able to be adopted! What a great feeling to get a doggy prepped and ready to find a home!
If you are reading this and getting super pumped, but you already have a dog, fear not! They have a quiz on their website to tell you what house your puppy is in here. All dogs deserve to be sorted because all dogs deserve to be loved for their individuality — just like us!