With shelters jam packed, La Mesa dog rescue the Animal Pad has joined with Google Pixel in an effort to find homes for more pet-worthy pooches.

Google Pixel is working to address the rescue shelter crisis as research has shown that a dog shown in great quality photos is adopted within 14 days on average, compared to 43 days when using poor photos.

To that end, Google Pixel created Pixel Pawtraits Kits, which put the power of the Pixel 8 Pro and its AI-enabled camera in the hands of rescue shelters to snap pictures of adoptable pups.

The kits, which include a Pixel 8 Pro, photography equipment and a portrait guide, were seeded to eight no-kill shelters nationwide in states with the highest rates of dogs in need of adoption.

The campaign, which launched last week, has received applications from over 70 shelters across 29 states. Google Pixel is also using its social power to feature weekly shelter spotlights from partners around the country that are participating in the Pawtraits program, starting with the Animal Pad in San Diego.

Shelters that would like to participate can apply to receive a kit, use the photos on their social channels and be featured on Google Pixel’s own social media.

“A lot of people that work at shelters or volunteer with organizations like ours are not professional photographers, do not have professional equipment by any means, and maybe don’t even have a solid place to take a photo,” said Lauren Botticelli, executive director of the Animal Pad.

“Because I run our social media page, I have noticed time and time again that one of the key things to getting a pet adopted is good quality photos … When the personality of a dog can come through in a photo and somebody can really connect to them, that’s what gets their foot in the door for rescue. And that can be the game changer for everything.”

The goal of the Google Pixel campaign is to empower at least one shelter in all 50 states.

During pandemic shutdowns, 23 million Americans adopted pets. Now, with inflation rising and offices re-opening, animal shelters once again are overwhelmed.

Leanne Johnson, head of global social and influencer marketing at Google, said “the Pixel — with its best-in-class camera and features fit for energetic pups and shelter environments — would be able to have real impact on this issue.”

Moa Netto, head of creative for 1000heads, the social transformation company that developed the campaign in partnership with Google, pointed to “the creative simplicity and impact of this idea.”

“It’s innovation with heart, empowering people to capture the personalities of dogs and enhance their chances of finding loving homes,” Netto said.

Note: Photo credit, inset – an example from the “Pixel Pawtraits” campaign, screen shot, Made by Google via YouTube