Paul Shaffer Films PSA for The Shelter Pet Project

A cool cat with a dogged devotion for our four-legged friends, David Letterman’s comedic cohort Paul Shaffer shares the spotlight with his canine sidekicks in a new PSA which promotes the option of adoption.

Unleashed by the Ad Council, Maddie’s Fund® and The Humane Society of the United States in partnership with Halo Pet Foundation, the clip has been launched to coincide with National Adopt a Shelter Dog month.

Stepping out from behind the keyboard and in front of a camera for the paws cause, Shaffer and his daughter Victoria show the joy that welcoming an adopted dog into your heart and home can bring as they play with their four-pawed pals Riley, Jake, Echo and Rue. “Everybody should have a shelter dog. It’s good for the soul,” said Paul Shaffer. “All four of our dogs have been absolute gems. Why would you want to do anything else but rescue a pet?”

The videos are part of The Shelter Pet Project, a PSA campaign that has helped to positively change the perception of shelter pets over the course of the past four years, with euthanasia rates declining by 10 percent during the campaign’s time period. Although the percentage is promising, 2.7 million healthy and treatable pets are still losing their lives in shelters each year, and The Shelter Pet Project’s goal is to bring that number down to zero.

According to The Humane Society of the United States, four million companion animals are adopted from shelters each year. To further encourage shelter adoption, actress Torrey DeVitto (The Vampire Diaries, Army Wives) and her barking buddy Beau will soon star in the next PSA for The Shelter Pet Project.

For more information:

• visit http://theshelterpetproject.org

Photo Credit: The Shelter Pet Project