This holiday season, the Peterborough Humane Society is encouraging community members to help animals in need — either by giving them a forever home or supporting the organization’s work at the Peterborough Animal Care Centre.
To spread the message, the Peterborough Humane Society has launched a campaign ad called “It’s never too late to fall in love again” that was created and donated by Peterborough-based creative agency Unmanned. The ad features an adorable cocker spaniel mix who finds their forever home during the holidays — both in the video and in real life.
“We really wanted to encourage the community to either adopt or if they can’t adopt, donate, or if they can’t donate, help spread the message and awareness about these animals in need,” says Kyle Christie, co-founder and chief marketing officer of Unmanned.
Unmanned, which launched in 2020 as a drone photography and videography services company before evolving into a full-service creative agency, worked to develop the ad with the Peterborough Humane Society — completely free of charge.
In the past, the agency would organize a fun promotional ad for themselves around a holiday or special occasion, but this year they devoted their talents for a better cause.
“We thought this year our time would be better spent if we give back to an organization and do something that creates value not only for ourselves, but for something bigger than ourselves,” says Christie.
VIDEO: “It’s never too late to fall in love again”
Christie adds the Peterborough Humane Society was one of the first organizations that came to mind. Earlier this year, the organization officially opened its new Peterborough Animal Care Centre at 1999 Technology Drive, a state-of-the-art 24,000-square-foot facility hosting the society’s shelter and adoption and education centre, the Ontario SPCA’s provincial dog rehabilitation centre, and a regional high-volume spay and neuter clinic to provide affordable spay and neuter services and prevent pet overpopulation.
“The work they do in the community and what they do for all the animals with the new building is amazing,” Christie says. “They’re really pushing ahead and growing, so it was a good fit for us. Plus, it’s pretty easy to tell a nice story when animals are involved.”
The minute-long ad follows an elderly gentleman — played by Christie’s own grandfather — who crafts what appears to be a leather belt in his workshop, before wrapping it as a gift and readying himself to meet someone named Lucy. After leaving his house carrying the gift, the man arrives at his destination and waves a greeting at a smiling woman who emerges from a building to meet him.
The ad’s big reveal is that the man has actually arrived at the Peterborough Animal Care Centre. The woman is a volunteer who brings the man a dog named Lucy he has adopted, and the man’s gift is a leather collar for Lucy.
“Unmanned is really good at storytelling and creating good messages for organizations,” says Christie. “It was a really great chance for us to put something together to really show our creative side, while at the same time helping an organization and, ideally, helping the animals get adopted.”
The donation of the ad came at a good time for the Peterborough Humane Society, which has seen a larger need for support over the last few months.
“We’ve been seeing unprecedented numbers of animals — not only in Peterborough, but nationally — with the cost of living and inflation,” says Kassie Graham, marketing and communications coordinator at the Peterborough Humane Society. “Prices for animal food, litter, treats, and even laundry detergent has increased, which means our donations don’t stretch as far as they used to.”
As the Unmanned team worked in collaboration with the Peterborough Humane Society to plot their idea for the ad, they were very intentional about depicting an elderly man as the protagonist who takes home a new companion.
“Peterborough has a very high population of senior citizens and they make up a very large portion of our supporters, so we wanted an ad that they could relate to,” says Graham, adding that the video also spotlights an “incredibly dedicated” volunteer named Edith.
Though typically there is a lot of warning and discussion around giving pets as presents for the holidays, due to the influx of gifted animals being left at shelters once Christmas has come and gone, the Peterborough Humane Society has a thorough vetting process to help ensure a pet has found its forever home. Unlike many breeders and puppy mills, the Peterborough Humane Society requires adopters to fill out an application that demonstrates they intend to care for the animal over the long term.
“Every year, millions of animals are born and many wind up in shelters, so adopting a pet from a shelter can contribute to the reduction of overpopulation and provides a home for an animal in need,” Graham says. “It also supports the cause of animal welfare compared to adopting from a breeder. We have nearly 50 animals available for adoption with over 100 in our care. Despite the time of year, each one needs a home, so we always vet each adopter to find a proper home and ensure they all find a good fit.”
Of the dozens of dogs in the shelter waiting to be adopted, many are medium-aged ranging from one to five years old. They are the ones often left behind while puppies and older dogs — desired by seniors for their low maintenance — are often the first to be selected.
That’s why an almost one-year-old cocker spaniel mix living in the shelter was chosen to play Lucy in the Unmanned ad, representing the middle-aged animals that “tend to be overlooked,” according to Graham. Despite playing the role of Lucy, the dog is actually male and is named Benji.
“Benji was surrendered to us after being hit by a car and had a dislocated saccharolytic and multiple pelvis fractures,” explains Graham. “After weeks of cage rest and limited activities, he was able to get back to his normal self and was available for adoption.”
Just days after filming, Benji caught his big break and ended up finding his real-life forever home for the holidays. His adopters, Gawsee and Lucas, says the “energetic and friendly pup” is doing very well in his new home.
Though Christmas is just days away, Graham adds that it’s not too late to give a pet a home for the holidays. If you’re not able to adopt, there are still many ways you can support the animals being cared for at the Peterborough Humane Society.
“One thing we really hope this holiday season is that the community will open their hearts to these animals in need,” says Graham. “There are so many ways to support. It can be fostering or adopting, donating resources or services like Unmanned did, volunteering, or even just sharing messages. Every year, we help thousands of animals, but we couldn’t do it without the community support. Every bit counts.”
To make a donation, adopt or support the Peterborough Humane Society, visit peterboroughhumanesociety.ca. For more information on the creative and ad work done by Unmanned, visit theunmannedav.com.
