Louisville, KY,
22
May
2018
|
14:07 PM
America/Chicago

Jake to the Rescue

The 2-year-old tan and white beagle mix abandoned in a rural Kentucky animal shelter was nothing special. Just one of hundreds of similar dogs easily overlooked behind the wire cage walls.

Until fate intervened.

The beagle’s name was Jake. And it just so happens that the media and PR coordinator for Kentucky’s largest humane society is a huge fan of the Jake from State Farm® commercials.

When an employee at the Kentucky Humane Society in Louisville sent her Jake’s photo, Megan Decker knew just what to do.

“All he needed was a little extra attention to be noticed. I immediately thought of Jake at State Farm,” Megan says. “So I posted his photo on Twitter and tagged State Farm.”

Her tweet − "Learn more about Jake" − got results.

Jordan Knoup, a Public Affairs specialist, was monitoring the company’s social media posts when she saw Megan’s Tweet about their Jake on the official Jake at State Farm Twitter page.

A rescue dog fan herself, Jordan asked her Public Affairs contacts to see if there was a way to help.

“I thought we may be able to sponsor his adoption fee as a goodwill gesture.”

Public Affairs Specialists Judy McConkey and Heather Paul worked with Jordan to expedite the donation to the humane society. When the request was approved, the humane society was notified that State Farm would indeed sponsor Jake, covering his adoption fee and a few extra blankets and toys for his new family.

Judy wrote on the Humane Society’s Twitter page in response: "Jake from @StateFarm is #heretohelp! We will cover your adoption fees and help you find a forever home. You really are handsome with your red collar and brown markings. It almost looks like you are wearing khakis!"

Jake, now adopted, is settling in to his new home thanks to the efforts of a few animal lovers and a popular commercial.

Megan says corporate sponsorships like this one help them pull dogs from rural shelters that have little or no adoption programs.

“We have a great team in place that works with dogs like Jake from these shelters to get them ready for adoption as soon as possible,” Megan says. “We do lots of grant writing and outreach to save as many animals as we can. I’m so happy this worked out for Jake and his new family.”

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