A South Carolina animal shelter is winning hearts—and finding homes for pets—by sharing playful, made-up stories about its animals online.
The Greenville Humane Society recently went viral after posting a lighthearted video on Instagram that shows adoptable pets with wildly exaggerated backstories. The video, captioned “Making up flattering lies about our pets to help them get adopted,” has gained more than 3 million views.
Among the fictional claims: Thor the dog “graduated Harvard at the top of his class,” Audrey the cat “can see the future,” Chiqui the dog “wrote a New York Times bestseller,” and Jake the dog “saves kittens from trees.”
The internet loved it. “I’m positive Jake has saved kittens from trees! So precious,” one viewer commented. Another joked, “I literally went to school with Thor.”
Katie Wofford, a representative of the shelter, told Newsweek, “We always have a blast creating fun, engaging content. It’s one of the things we appreciate most about social media.”
The video wasn’t just entertaining—it worked. Audrey, the “future-telling” cat, has been adopted. Chiqui is now in a foster home, and other animals featured in the clip are receiving more attention too.
The timing is important. According to Shelter Animals Count, 3.12 million animals entered U.S. shelters in the first half of 2024—a slight drop from the previous year, but still a significant number. Sadly, 322,000 more pets entered shelters than left during that time.
Greenville Humane Society is caring for 638 animals and often operates at up to 200% capacity. Despite the pressure, Wofford said the local community has been a huge support—stepping in to foster or adopt when it’s needed most.
“We’ve been cracking up all week at the public’s hilarious comments,” Wofford added. “We definitely plan to make many more videos like that one and maybe turn it into a regular series.”
Creative campaigns like this aren’t new but continue to prove effective. At other shelters, pets like Katerina gained attention after simple kennel notes went viral. Others, like Valmir the cat, became memorable for their own bold actions—like clinging to visitors until they agreed to adopt.
With humor, honesty, and heart, shelters like Greenville’s are reminding people that every animal has a story—and sometimes, it just takes a little imagination to help it get heard.
Related Topics
