This Genius Animal Shelter Sorts Doggos By Hogwarts Houses

This Genius Animal Shelter Sorts Doggos By Hogwarts Houses

When adopting a dog, it's tough to know which breed you want. I mean, it's more likely that you have an idea of the size and general temperament you'd like, rather than a specific breed.

An animal shelter in Orlando gets this, and they're sorting their dogs by temperament — with a dash of Harry Potter magic thrown in for good measure.

The new initiative is called (naturally) "Pawgwarts".

It came from a desire to have people focus on personality rather than breed.

"We have to get people to think about what they really want in a dog, what really fits with their lives — instead of having them just walk in and say, 'I want a golden retriever puppy,'" says Stephen Bardy, executive director.

When the breed is prioritized, many mutts unfortunately get left behind.

When someone gets in in their head that they want a purebred, where does that leave the rest of the mutts?

When temperament and personality are prioritized, everybody wins.

It makes more sense to choose a dog based on factors other than its breed.

With that in mind, the geeky Harry Potter tie-in was born.

Because really, it's way more fun to affiliate these doggos with the houses of Hogwarts.

They might not be wizards, but these dogs are getting sorted into various Pawgwarts houses.

Obedient, intelligent dogs are part of Ravenclaw House.

These wise dogs are deemed to have the knowledge required to excel at Ravenclaw

Dogs who are known to be affectionate belong to Hufflepuff.

If you want areally friendly dog, your best bet is one from Hufflepuff.

Fearless dogs are sorted into Gryffindor House.

These bold doggos embrace change, bravely taking on anything that comes their way.

Slytherin is for dogs who aren't afraid to dream.

The ambitious dogs of Slytherin aren't afraid to take on new challenges.

Using a Sorting Hat (or behavioral quiz) is a pretty great way to group dogs by temperament.

"The dogs are tested individually similar to the Sorting Hat process in the novels. In our case, the dog’s choice of toy indicates his house, not the Sorting Hat — but we do have one on hand," said Bardy. 

Pawgwarts has been a success.

The Harry Potter tie-in is fun, but the most important thing is that these dogs are getting matched up with their forever homes.

The story's gone viral in a big way.

Media outlets in the Orlando area and beyond are picking up on just what a special story Pawgwarts is.

Doggos aren't the only furbabies getting the Hogwarts treatment.

Plenty of cats need homes, too. Sorting them by temperament might be more of a challenge than it is with dogs, though...

If you live in central Florida, why not stop by Pawgwarts?

I mean, it looks like a blast!

Which house would you want to adopt from? Tell us in the comments!