You can now adopt real-life dogs in the Metaverse

From creative potential to sub-par graphics and recent reports of stagnating progress, the Metaverse is a continually contested space. But it seems Pedigree and BBDO New York have found one great use for it in the meantime. Fosterverse is a new programme using the Metaverse as an “innovative way of getting rescue dogs exposure to more potential adopters,” according to a release.

Fosterverse essentially works like an interactive, digital advertising board. Hosted in Decentraland, the programme allows Metaverse landowners who can’t foster a dog in real life – because of allergies, space, financial restrictions or any other reasons – to foster a dog in their virtual home. Landowners can choose a dog from Adopt-a-pet.com and place a 3D avatar of the dog on their land. Passersby in Decentraland can interact with the dog avatar, find out its name, breed and adoption status. Then, any user can choose to adopt any dog they’ve met through Fosterverse in real life via Adopt a Pet.

It might seem a little zeitgeist-y for pet adoption, but there’s a reason rescue centres need to think creatively. More animals are in shelters than before the pandemic, and just over 53 per cent of those dogs are being adopted, says Pedigree, citing Shelter Animals Count.

Pedigree also appears to be moving with the creative current. Last year, the company launched Rescue Doodles – an AI-powered adoption query programme that matched children’s drawings with a nearby adoptable dog. While Rescue Doodles required users to text images of their doodles, Fosterverse is decidedly online, and hoping to reach new potential adopters as a result. Through the new programme, Decentrand users can also support rescue animals in other ways, such as by donating to Pedigree Foundation.