Dogs become iconic soccer players in this cute pet adoption campaign

A new rescue pet adoption campaign from Dubai is appealing to people's love of soccer to get them interested in taking on mixed breed abandoned dogs..

TBWA/RAAD created a campaign for Sniff, a non-profit rescue organization, around the upcoming Spanish "Clasico" games between Real Madrid and Barcelona, styling mixed breed dogs as iconic players like Luis Suarez, Luis Figo, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Soccer fans will appreciate plenty of in-jokes about the players' styles, characteristics and famous or infamous moves (eg. Suarez is a "biter'' -- of soccer balls that is) in the video seen here, which will play out on social channels. 

Additionally, the Clasico pooches will "comment" live on the games on social channels as they happen. The campaign invites viewers to show their support by offering to adopt, foster, sponsor or just simply like Sniff's social media pages, which it hopes will help increase awareness for abandoned pets across the region.

The campaign was produced by Magnet and directed by Nick Davidson. It's a cute idea-and certainly a different approach from the more typical heart-rending pictures of abandoned pets common in this category.