LOS ANGELES — Sandy the dog “muttbombed” celebrities such as Bradley Cooper, Ellen DeGeneres and Brad Pitt as they posed at the Oscars for the now-famous star-studded selfie.
That digitally tweaked version of the most retweeted photo ever is a Texas animal rescue’s bet that combining cuddly canines and Hollywood stars will entice more social-media users to adopt needy pets.
The adoption campaign — by Dallas Pets Alive, a small, all-volunteer rescue, and Dieste Inc., a marketing firm working pro bono — launched Feb. 10.
They take the publicly posted Instagram photos of both the glitterati and the girl next door, edit in the friendly face of a dog in need and attach often humorous captions urging adoptions. The Oscars selfie has a caption reading, “I’m Sandy and I’m #muttbombing you in hopes of finding a home.”
The goal of the campaign is to boost adoptions and reduce the number of animals that the Dallas pound euthanizes.
