We all know shelter pets rule, and now we know thousands of people agree with us. They proved it when they voted for our funded Shelter Pet Project’s “Anthem” as Ad Council’s public service ad of the year!

This victory serves to shine a powerful spotlight on pets in shelters and rescue groups. The response from the public through each round of voting was proof of the growing popularity of adopted pets. The final round of voting was particularly close, with the Shelter Pet Project PSA barely edging out an ad promoting human adoption, “Your Son’s Messed Up Haircut,” created by kbs+ as part of the Ad Council’s Adoption from Foster Care Campaign. There were only 114 votes dividing the two campaigns.

Shelter pets were the victors in that championship round largely thanks to the backing of the campaign’s social media supporters, organized around the hashtag #ShelterPetsForTheWin. The competition on the final day was fierce, with the two campaigns trading leads multiple times.

The winning PSA, created by ad agency J. Walter Thompson, features celebrity pets Keyboard Cat, Hamilton Pug and Toast Meets World. They drive home the message that amazing stories start in animal shelters and rescue groups, and people looking for a new pet should “Start a Story, Adopt.”

Sponsored by Maddie’s Fund^® and the Humane Society of the United States, the Ad Council campaign encourages people to visit TheShelterPetProject.org to learn more about how they can adopt their next pet from a shelter or rescue group near them.

View the winning PSA below or on YouTube, and make sure to spread the word: Shelter Pets Rule!