Sometimes family has four legs

Insight

People see dogs not just as pets, but as family.

They’re searching for more than a good match — they’re looking for a real connection. Yet in shelters, what they often find is just a fragment of a dog’s story: an age, a weight, maybe a guessed breed. As if the dog’s story begins only when it enters the shelter.

Research

Idea

We reimagined dog adoptions as a family reunion by using genealogy data to match adopters with shelter dogs who share their heritage. Someone from Ireland finds a pup with Irish Setter roots. A family with Southern history meets a Coonhound with the same background. We turned adoption into recognition—finding not just a good dog, but your dog.

Campaign

Heritage Hounds

Turning genealogy into adoption matches

Pedigree turns ancestry into a bridge — connecting people and pups through shared heritage, and giving shelter dogs an even stronger shot at finding a forever home.

You share your story — where you’ve lived, your family details, even your history with pets. Pedigree then searches shelter and adoption records to find pups with stories that echo your own. Maybe a dog who’s moved as often as you, or one whose family history feels familiar. The result isn’t just a match — it’s a connection that feels like family.

A docu-series capturing the moment heritage becomes family

Pedigree continues the campaign through a docu-series

that follows families on their journey to adopt a pet, and therefore extend their families.