Animal shelter launches 'neuter your ex' program for Valentine's day and people are thrilled

Valentine's Day is just around the corner. As much as couples in love are excited to celebrate V-day, there might be a few dreading to face it because of bitter break-ups. Amongst many ad campaigns harnessing the lovey-dovey vibes of Valentine's Day, this animal shelter decided to leverage the darker side of it. Homeward Bound Pet Adoption Center—who goes by @homewardboundnj on Instagram—in Camden County, New Jersey came up with a hilarious ad campaign that is turning heads on social media. On January 24, they posted a fundraising campaign on Instagram targeting people who dislike their exes and as per CBS, the responses were better than what they expected.

It was a "neuter your ex for Valentine's Day" program and people could pay 50 dollars to name a cat after their ex and it would later be spayed. Speaking to the media channel about the genesis of this brilliant idea, Eric Schwartz, director of development at the animal shelter said, "A group of us were in a meeting talking about some fun ways to raise money over Valentine's Day. We were discussing a petagram. A board member mentioned that an idea had come through a volunteer about 'neuter your ex.'" Schwartz pointed out how the campaign had taken off pretty well with already five cats named after someone's exes and many requests were incoming.

An interesting and rib-tickling part of this campaign was its slogan, "Because some things shouldn't breed." About this catchphrase, Schwartz told the news channel, "I think it becomes so relatable to people because whether they want to talk about it openly or not, I think an image or a name comes into their mind. So it's just kind of taken off and we're certainly appreciative of the attention that it can bring to these animals." This trap-neuter-return (TNR) program was quite significant in controlling the feral cat population in the New Jersey community because "it breaks the breeding cycle and stops the birth of unwanted cats." The program not only spayed stray cats but also cats whose caregivers couldn't afford their feline's neutering.

The animal shelter highlighted in their post that only the first names or nicknames of the exes were to be used, considering the concerned person's privacy. Schwartz said that so far they have received around 40 to 50 names for the cats to be spayed. Unsure of whether the exes knew about this or not, the animal shelter director pointed out that people who sent the names were enjoying this program. People loved the sense of humor in this post and their comments were chucklesome.

"I am audibly belly-laughing at my phone right now this is amazing," @joeyydavid wrote. "Question: while this is Valentine's theme, does the name have to be an ex-romantic partner? I have a childhood bully and a few ex-friends who would make excellent candidates," @girlwithabroom asked, to which the animal shelter replied that it could be whoever they wanted it to be. This program was not just a brilliant marketing technique that favors a good cause but also, in a small way, helped people to get their frustrations over their ex off their chest.