DOGE For Dogs and Cats: PAWS Accept Donations in Cryptocurrencies
PAWS Chicago, an animal rescue organization is aiming to have shelters stop using euthanasia for its resident cats and dogs, is now accepting crypto donations.
In a Tuesday announcement, PAWS Chicago said it would be accepting “dogenations”, in other words donations in Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), Dogecoin (DOGE), and other tokens to support its operations ahead of its new hospital for homeless cats and dogs. The organization is hoping to target “a tech-savvy demographic of potential donors,” promoting crypto donations with digital billboards featuring a dog shooting lasers out of its eyes.
According to the organization, crypto donations may be used to further its goals of reducing the number of shelter animals euthanized in the United States by spaying and neutering cats and dogs. PAWS Chicago said it has provided 300,000 such surgeries in its 25 years of operation, helping reduce the number of homeless animals killed in the Chicago area by 91%. The new medical center aims to improve its efforts to save animals.
To launch this new offering and drive incremental donations, PAWS Chicago partnered on a pro-bono campaign with creative advertising agency Leo Burnett, which capitalized on meme culture—specifically the “laser eyes” meme—for out-of-home advertising that targets a tech-savvy demographic of potential donors. Roughly 59 million Americans own some form of cryptocurrency—an increase of 61% in the last two years—and “Dogenations” offer cryptocurrency holders a meaningful way to use their digital coins by donating directly through the QR code displayed on the ads.
“We are eager to connect with the growing cryptocurrency community, who can help sustain the future of animal welfare in Chicago and save animals’ lives,” said PAWS Chicago CEO Susanna Homan.
For the campaign, Leo Burnett donated over 180 out-of-home advertisements which can be seen on digital billboards (image above), with the QR code to donate, throughout the Chicagoland area, including at Guaranteed Rate Field, various Jewel Osco and Walgreens locations, Northbrook Court and the United Center, from August into September.
“The rise of Dogecoin is further proof that people love dogs,” said Ben Doessel, Associate Creative Director at Leo Burnett. “Our team coupled this trending meme with PAWS Chicago, which has been a driving force in animal welfare for decades, to give dog lovers a new way to make a real impact.”
The iconic dog behind the Dogecoin project was a Japanese Shiba Inu in a popular meme from 2013. Since that time, DOGE has grown both in popularity, largely pushed by figures including Tesla CEO Elon Musk, and size as the price increased from less than a penny to an all-time high of $0.68. At the time of publication, the price of the token is $0.29, having fallen 6.65% in the last 24 hours.
