The Internet is full of trolls, mostly annoying ones.
In a recent, brilliant marketing plan, the Toronto Humane Society has trolled the internet into raising awareness to the issue of pet abandonment.
PuppySwap.ca looks like a very legitimate website, complete with social media widgets, testimonials, infographics and an informational video, until you realize the site's peculiar message: "when your dog gets old and starts losing the spunk and energy it had years ago, trade it in for brand new puppy."
If the infographics, which all hint at the satire of the site -- "Puppies are cute. Then they grow up." "Pick a breed. Love your puppy. Watch it grow. Swap it." -- don't throw you off to the irony of it all, clicking on the "sign up" button will.
"PuppySwap isn't real," the message that pops up states. "Unfortunately, pet abandonment is. Over 180,000 animals enter Canadian shelters each year. 40% will never leave."
The message concludes with, "Spread the word-pet ownership is for life," followed by a "more info" button that leads to an FAQ page with more disheartening statistics regarding pet abandonment.
The informational video, which was released last week, is approaching 100,000 YouTube views. In typical internet fashion, many comments on the video, clearly written by people who don't get the message, bash the whole idea.
Kudos to the Toronto Humane Society for finding a way to get this important message across in a manner far less depressing than the ASPCA commercials with Sarah McLachlan.
