A young black-and-white Border Collie mix puppy in a softly lit indoor setting with neutral tones. 2:03
Associação Quatro Patinhas channel icon Associação Quatro PatinhasOriginal creator 3.9M views Save

Pet store shoppers learn the puppies are free

For one day, every puppy on display in this pet shop is a rescue dog. The customers walking in have no idea. more

A non-profit group struck a deal with the shop to take over its animal display space for the day. The reason is simple. Shelters are crowded, yet people still pay a lot of money for pets in shops, when a shelter dog wouldn't cost them a cent.

A person inserts a red card into a payment terminal. A headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
Plenty of people still pay a lot of money for a pet from a shop.

So the group put shelter dogs right where those shoppers already look. A hidden camera is rolling. People browse the way they always do in a pet store, and one by one they settle on a favorite. "I want to buy the spotted dog," one shopper says.

The answer isn't a price. The dog is free. "For free?" one shopper asks. "Is it for real?" Someone admits, "I was just about to ask for a discount."

Shock comes first, and then plain confusion. Pet stores don't give puppies away, and it takes a moment for the offer to sink in. Then someone says, "Please, honey. Let's take him!" The shoppers say yes and leave with the dog they chose.

A young black-and-white Border Collie mix puppy in a softly lit indoor setting with neutral tones. The headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
For one day, every puppy on display in this pet shop is a rescue dog.

The group's point is that a pet doesn't have to be purebred or cost a lot. What matters is the love that grows between a person in the pet shop and the pet behind the glass. Saving a life beats buying one.

For a few lucky pups, the way out of the shelter runs right through the pet shop door.

#puppies#animalrescue