Mars-owned petcare brand Pedigree has come up with some innovative ways to get people to think about adopting pets recently; it's matched kids' doodles with real animals and even given dogs their own social media platform. Now, the brand is experimenting with another digital space by letting people adopt dogs in the metaverse.

The so-called "Fosterverse" campaign, created by BBDO New York with support from Weber Shandwick and MediaCom, enables anyone who owns a property in Decentraland to foster real rescue dogs on their virtual land. This works by uploading 3D avatars based on real-life dogs in shelters that are currently listed on the Adopt a Pet website. Users can then interact with the dogs they meet in Decentraland, learning about their backgrounds and adoption status as well as ways to support dogs in need across the country. Anyone can explore adoption of a pet they meet in the metaverse, using Adopt a Pet, or they can donate to the Pedigree Foundation for pet adoption.

"As the first brand to bring adoptable dogs to the Metaverse, we are proud to be at the forefront of this new virtual reality, supporting our ambition to end pet homelessness," said Jean-Paul Jansen, vice president of marketing for Mars Petcare North America, in a statement. "Both the Pedigree brand and Pedigree b Foundation have long histories of supporting animal shelters and promoting dog adoption, and this program enables people to support deserving dogs in a new way through virtual fostering."