Visual Communication - Bachelor
DownDog is a social campaign using playful dog yoga classes to break the stigma around animal shelters. Inspired by the benefits of human-animal connection, it promotes adoption and mental well-being, addressing isolation, stress, and anxiety. DownDog unites animal welfare and human wellness to create happier, healthier communities.
There’s a lot of stigma surrounding shelter dogs being risky and aggressive, and it often prevents people from adopting them, even though most are loving, healthy pets who just need a second chance.
Harmful stereotypes have led to lower adoption rates, and so shelters become overcrowded, which creates a stressful environment for the dogs.
In some cases, overcrowded shelters, especially those with limited resources, are forced to euthanise healthy and adoptable dogs to make space for others.
Most dogs thrive off of human interaction, and the same goes for us. Research has shown that humans often find comfort in having an animal companion, indicating a strong connection between owning an animal companion and a person’s improved mental and physical health. This finding is what evolved this project into a service that not only encourages adoption but also campaigns for mental well-being, addressing issues such as social isolation, stress, and anxiety.
Now, DownDog’s mission is to challenge the negative perceptions of shelter adoption while also supporting disadvantaged animals and the shelters that care for them. DownDog is going to create a safe space for loving dogs to escape the stressful, loud shelters, come out of their shells, show off their personalities, and hopefully get adopted.
Cait is a young design student with a bubbly, creative personality and a passion for using design to drive social change. She believes design can shape a better future, so she focuses her work on making a meaningful impact. Deeply inspired by animal rights and habitat conservation, Cait designs with purpose, empathy and vision for positive change.