LOS ANGELES, Calif. (September 21, 2022) — We all like a cute puppy pic, and Tinder members know how great it is (70% surveyed singles believe that having a dog in their profile photos helps them get more matches*). As a true dog lover, Tinder, in honor of National Dog Week (Sept 18 - 24), is helping shelter dogs and singles make new connections by teaming up with rescue organizations across the US for a good cause. Throughout the week, members will be able to have an available shelter dog added to a profile photo, giving them a better chance at a match, and the dog the perfect paw-portunity to find a furever home. 

The campaign is sure to cause smiles and even a few ‘what a good boys’ among members. “Dog Lover” is one of the top 10 most popular Interests** added to Tinder profiles, and a recent survey found that 60% of people say they’re more tempted to match with someone with a dog in their dating profile picture.* 

“This National Dog Week, Tinder is better able to help people find love AND help dogs in need find new homes - both looking for their perfect match," said Melissa Hobley, Tinder CMO. “Being able to express your common interests is so important for sparking new connections, so we wanted to bring our members even more fun ways to find someone new, whether that be a new dog park pal or a stepparent for their furry friend.”

Here’s how it works:

• Members can view and Like the Rescue Matches profile cards in their Tinder card stack or visit rescuematches.com
• Once there, they can upload a photo that will be filtered to include an available dog’s image, location, and adoption details 
• Adding the photo to their Tinder profiles will help potential matches also become potential pet parents 

To kickoff the campaign, LA-based dog lovers are being treated to the ulti-mutt photoshoot experience at the city’s first canine social club, DOG PPL. Members were invited to mingle with other singles and take professional photos with adoptable pups from local rescues Wags & Walks and 4 Paws on Tuesday, September 20th and Wednesday, Sept 21 from 1:00-8:00pm PST.

A full list of the partner animal shelters can be found below:

• Wags & Walks (Los Angeles): Wags and Walks is a dedicated community of dog lovers working to reduce euthanasia in local shelters and increase awareness of rescue dogs by focusing on advocating for wrongfully stereotyped breeds that are often overlooked and at-risk due to overcrowding.
• 4 Paws Kiddo Rescue (Los Angeles): 4 Paws Kiddo Rescue is an all-breed, no-kill dog rescue organization that works to reduce the number of dogs that are euthanized in shelters each and every day through rescue and rehabilitation, then finally, adoption. It accepts dogs of all ages & medical needs, with an emphasis on senior dogs, which can be  more difficult to adopt.
• Animal Care Centers of NYC (New York): ACC of NYC strives to find loving homes for homeless and abandoned pets, both by adopting animals directly to the public and by partnering with more than 250 dedicated animal placement organizations.
• Anti-Cruelty Society (Chicago): The Anti-Cruelty Society is one of Chicago’s oldest and largest comprehensive animal welfare organizations whose mission is to build a healthy and happy community where pets and people thrive together.
• Special Pals (Houston): Special Pals is a 501(c)(3) non-profit animal welfare organization founded in 1979 and is the oldest continuously running “no-kill” animal shelter in the Houston metro area. Its mission is to save as many animal lives in Houston as possible in cooperation with local rescue organizations. It empowers its community to support animal health and safety, and we envision the day when Houston is the Gold Standard for animal welfare.

About Tinder
Tinder was launched at a hackathon in Hatch Labs, an incubator owned by IAC, in 2012 and is the world’s most popular app for meeting new people. Available in 190 countries and 40+ languages, it’s been downloaded more than 530 million times and led to more than 75 billion matches.

*Data resulting from survey commissioned by Honest Paws in 2021
**Tinder introduced Interests to offer members a new way to share more about themselves. Members can add up to five Interests to their profile, creating a better matching experience by connecting over common Interests