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Florida Animal Shelter Sees Spike In Adoptions After Sorting Dogs By Hogwarts House

November 11, 2017

Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando

A Florida animal shelter has sprinkled some "Harry Potter" magic into its dog adoption process.

Dogs at the Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando are now being sorted into four categories inspired by the Hogwarts houses.

Pet Alliance employees divide adoptable dogs into the houses of Gryffindogs (Gryffindor), Ravenpaw (Ravenclaw), Hufflefluff (Hufflepuff) or Slobberin (Slytherin), based on their personalities.

Employees observe the dogs interacting with toys and other dogs before assigning them to a house, the shelter said.

Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando

When people arrive at the shelter, they read about the dogs' characteristics rather than their breeds.

"We want people to look at the dog for their behavior and personality and what their talents are," the shelter's executive director Stephen Bardy told ABC News. "We really wanted people to take a look at dogs for the dogs."

Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando

Bardy reports the shelter has seen a significant spike in foot and online traffic since launching the initiative last month. In the last week alone, 23 dogs were adopted from "Harry Potter"-themed houses.

The most popular so far has been the Hufflepuff house, whose characteristics apply to nearly all dog breeds: hard work, dedication, patience, loyalty, justice and fair play.