These Ads May Inspire You to Adopt a Pet

In 2014, the Humane Society of Silicon Valley tried a new approach to help one of its shelter dogs get adopted — blunt honesty.

Eddie the Terrible

The organization wrote a blog post titled "A Full Disclosure Blog: Three Reasons You DON'T Want To Adopt Eddie The Terrible" that outlined why Eddie, a two-year-old Chihuahua, probably isn't the dog you want to take home.

The writer acknowledges that Eddie may be cute, but he won't sleep in his crate and he doesn't get along with children or other dogs.

"While Eddie The Terrible has never actually attacked another dog, he's made it abundantly clear that he hasn't ruled out the possibility," the post reads. "He goes from zero to Cujo in .05 seconds when he sees another dog on leash."

The blog post includes images of Eddie Photoshopped into a variety of humorous situations, including promotions from "The Walking Dead" and "American Horror Story."

Despite his faults though, the Humane Society says Eddie isn't unadoptable. The Chihuahua is loyal, housebroken, and loves to play fetch, and although he may present some challenges, he's the perfect fit for a patient dog lover with a child-free and dog-free home.

"Somewhere out there is someone whose life will be better with Eddie, someone that he'll make laugh every day and someone whose lap he'll keep warm," Finnegan Dowling, social media manager for HSSV, told The Huffington Post. "We're going to find that person."

And they did. After 15 months at the shelter, Eddie the Terrible now has a forever home.

Other Creative Ad Campaigns

That success story is just one creative approach to find homes for shelter pets. Take a look at some other unique campaigns and hilarious ads that rescue organizations have come up with.

Last year Anjellicle Cats Rescue hosted a "Downton Abbey"-themed cat adoption event at a local pet store. The rescue organization even created posters profiling each feline

One dog foster mom from Houston, Texas, working with adoption agency Friends for Life, created a website dedicated entirely to finding a one-year-old mixed breed dog named Hank his forever home as quickly as possible because she was feeling so very "tired." Scary Mommy reported,

"Interested parties should be able to match his energy ('maybe you’re into CrossFit'), but you have to be willing to train Hank to channel all that power into something positive. He’s 54 pounds of crazy 'with eyes like the ocean. Unfortunately, that ocean also sank the Titanic.' He also 'knows basic commands such as "sit," "down," "shake," and "why are you so f***ing mental, stop chewing on that and get in your ... kennel."'"

Hank's adoption website is now temporarily disabled, so hopefully that means he found his family.

North Brooklyn Cats, a group of neighbors committed to finding homes for New York felines, frequently reimagines memes and cultural icons to encourage people to adopt its cats. You can see the full gallery.

In this ad by The Shelter Pet Project, a newly adopted cat discusses his new family, which includes a young boy who plays outside in a "giant litterbox."

With just a little bit of tweaking, the Nevada Humane Society proves the same tactics that sell used cars can also entice people to adopt a "pre-owned pet."

This memorable commercial by Los Angeles Animal Services gives you a glimpse of what life would be like if everyone saw you like your dog does.

Put cats on a poster and you'll probably get people's attention, but if those cats are spinning beats and dancing with glow sticks, you'll definitely get more of their attention—and likely hold it for longer.

In 2011, the Winnipeg Humane Society had a "cat surplus," so it made this used-car parody ad to encourage people to adopt shelter cats.