ANATOMY OF A CAMPAIGN t’s often said that we Brits are a nation of animal lovers, and the numbers certainly bear that out. Nationwide, we happily cohabit with 9 million dogs and 8 million cats. However, life can still be tough for some of our furry friends – particularly rescue animals. Each year, around 250,000 unwanted or neglected pets arrive at rescue centres around the UK, including that national treasure, Battersea Dogs & Cats Home. Over its 160-year history, the charity has rescued and rehomed more than 3.1 million cats and dogs, lovingly pairing them up with carefully vetted humans. But that’s not before they’re given the full service: a thorough veterinary check (and surgery if needed), vaccinations, neutering and microchipping. These animals come “in all shapes and sizes,” Battersea notes, and “refuse to be defined by their past”. After all, “rescues aren’t broken, or damaged… and while they may not look perfect, they have so much to give”.
I
FORGOTTEN FAVOURITES Sadly, rescues aren’t always people’s default choice of pet. Plenty of people now take to the internet to search for designer and fashionable breeds such as French bulldogs – in 2019, there were 165,000 monthly online searches for the
Rescue mission Battersea Dogs & Cats Home needed a pawsitively purrfect campaign to change attitudes about rehoming rescue animals BY ALI CATTERALL
INFLUENCEONLINE.CO.UK Q2 2020 39
