Tone Deaf

This is absolutely not acceptable.

Today we saw shelter animals being used as part of a bad-taste joke—and honestly, it’s appalling. We’re not easily offended, but this crossed a line. These animals have been stuck in that facility for years. Some have never been properly promoted. Maybe once. Maybe never. And now they’re being turned into props for a laugh?

Let’s be very clear: these are not pets. They are not in homes. They are not safe. They are in a holding facility. And that’s exactly what a shelter is—not a holiday camp, not a photo backdrop, not a place to be enjoyed. It’s a sad, temporary stop for animals who desperately need out. But you’d never know that from the way some people present it.

We’ve seen more and more of this lately—animals being used to promote shelters as cheerful, positive places. And it makes us ask: what does this tell us about what many shelters think they are? What they believe their purpose is? Because what we’re seeing has little to do with the harsh reality. It’s like some of them want to be seen as wellness centres or sanctuaries. But that’s not what they are. That’s not what the animals need.

Yes, now and again, we see a dog or cat arrive injured or sick—and to the shelter’s credit, they step up, they care, they treat, they heal. That’s something to respect. But it’s right there, in that moment, when the flat-out promotion needs to begin. When they’ve survived the worst, and they’re finally ready for their future—that is when the spotlight should shine. Not years later in some tone-deaf post dressed up as humour, with no mention of the fact that they’re still locked inside.

And that’s exactly what got under our skin this time. We know both of those dogs. We know how long they’ve been in there. Not weeks. Not months. Years. Years of waiting. Years of being overlooked. Years of being passed by and forgotten. And now they’re being used to make people laugh?

It’s not just tone-deaf—it’s sad. Totally sad.

Why would anyone involved in a shelter want to glorify this situation? Who does that help? Because it’s certainly not the animals. When you gloss over the reality and only show the shiny, staged bits—the occasional happy tail wag, the cute moment—you’re not telling the truth. You’re painting over suffering with feel-good filters. And in doing so, you strip away the urgency. You make it easier for the public to scroll on, instead of step up.

If more people saw what it was actually like—the boredom, the isolation, the dogs breaking down in slow motion—more people would help. But they don’t, because they’re being sold a fantasy that everything’s fine.

Well, it’s not fine. And showing the ‘funny’ parts doesn’t help the animals one bit. That joy, that celebration? That belongs to the moment they step out of a shelter—not while they’re wasting away in one.

There are places for fun and laughter—absolutely. But animal rescue and welfare isn’t one of them. Not when the humour comes at the animals’ expense. Not when their lives are on hold and their futures are in doubt.

So stop trying to glam it up to make yourself look more caring. If the animals aren’t the focus—if their future isn’t the point—then what exactly are you promoting?

Because it’s not them. And they’re still in there, waiting.