CLIENT UNCREDITED

#PAWSTHELAW

On 8 March 2023, the Spanish Senate was set to pass an animal‑protection bill that, in a devastating oversight, excluded hunting dogs. Dogs, that once no longer considered “useful”, faced abandonment, abuse and inhumane treatment with no legal protection.

With only seven days to go, we were asked to raise awareness of this plight.

Traditional media was too slow, so I turned to social - the natural home of dog lovers, where owners post about their pets six times a week. But social guidelines prevented showing the true horror of the abuse. The imagery was too distressing .

So the restriction became the idea. #PawsTheLaw repurposed Instagram’s Sensitive Content warning, replacing it with a custom crying‑dog icon and a series of written descriptions of the abuse, paired with a clear call to share. Short films built around the warning used real audio of mistreatment meaning what couldn’t be shown could still be heard.

Working through animal‑protection organisations and with influencer support, the campaign spread fast. Within days, #PawsTheLaw generated over 375 million interactions, earning support from two Kardashians, a Jenner, Lewis Hamilton and Ricky Gervais amongst others.

Did we win the Vote, no. Did we get close enough to #pawsthelaw…yes!