Though gawking at cute animals and taking (and retaking) Hogwarts Sorting Hat quizzes have held an unrelenting duopoly on the way most Americans spend their free time (and business hours) for quite a while now, it wasn’t until the visionaries at Pet Alliance Orlando came along that humankind figured out how to bring these disparate passions together. Icing on the cakeârather, maggots on the haggis/peanut butter on the Kong: it’s for a good cause.
As first reported by The Dodo, via Mental Floss, the Florida-based animal shelter has taken to sorting its dogs into Hogwarts houses. Not just for funâalthough there’s no purer joy than seeing the a slobbery smile of a chipper pitty when you tell him heâs won a seat in House Hufflefluffâbut to give prospective adopters a better idea about the personality of the pups they may be taking home.
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So how does the Pet Alliance Orlando sort its four-legged students? As it turns out, on-staff animal behaviorist and affirmed Harry Potter fan Diane Andersen devised a personality test better suited to a pupâs attention span than Pottermoreâs 500-question quiz might be. Via toys, physical obstacles, interactions with humans and fellow canines, and monitoring of the dogsâ independent demeanor, the test looks to identify the dominant personality trait in any of its entrants: the bravest and most resilient of the barkers wind up in Gryffindor; the quickest to learn tricks or figure out puzzle games are named Ravenclaw; the most ambitious in tackling new challenges are given to Slytherin; and the friendliest, most affectionate pooches? âPuff pride, baby. (The shelter’s website does offer a digital quiz, but that’s more for human fun.)
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As you might expect, the stunt has earned the shelter a fair deal of attention, which is likewise good news for the dogs seeking new friends and forever homes. Though the practice was pioneered at Pet Alliance Orlando, we wouldnât be surprised to see other shelters across the country adopting the task of Hogwarts House sorting to give their own clientele a better appreciation for the personalities of the dogs theyâve come to meet. But even if your local animal shelter doesnât pick up the habit, itâll no doubt have staff members on hand able to field questions about any given dogâs sense of character. So be like Hermoine and find out as much as you can learn!
Featured image: Petful/Flickr
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