Elanco Canada is trying to get pet owners to think hard about its K9 Advantix II tick medication by opening a place where dogs can adopt a pet of their very own.

While ticks are found in wooded areas, they are increasingly being found in Canadian cities. To educate dog owners about this fact, as well as give them tips on avoiding ticks in urban areas, the brand opened a “Tick Adoption Centre” in Toronto this weekend.

The event was designed with language more commonly found in communications from agencies that help dog adoption, but instead referring to connecting dogs with “emotional support ticks,” where the ticks up for adoption come from and what to look for in the ideal tick. It used these as a humorous way to educate dog owners about ticks and prevention, while also gaving out samples of K9 Advantix II to help avoid actually adopting the wrong kind of critters.

A mixed-media awareness campaign to drive attention for the stunt included targeted ads on Instagram and Facebook, OOH boards in 15 locations throughout the city, PR and influencer relations. There was also collateral for pet retailers, as well as guerrilla postings in the pet sections of online classified sites.

McCann led the creative as well as the pop-up concept in collaboration with Nordest Studio, with support from Golin on PR and influencer relations.