If this doesn’t make you want to grab your car keys and speed to the shelter, we don’t know what will. A Florida shelter discovered that a lot of their dogs were being adopted because of their breed, not their personality. So they decided to do something about it the only way they knew how.

They sorted the dogs into Hogwarts houses.

Pet Alliance Orlando executive director Stephen Bardy came up with the idea during a staff meeting. They discussed how they could find more of their furry companions a forever home. Thus the sorting idea was born.

According to The Dodo, “Each dog is sorted based on his personality, and the shelter actually has a very sophisticated system for figuring out which dog belongs in which house, just like the Sorting Hat. “

“Our animal behaviorist, Diane Andersen, (and Harry Potter guru), created a test using toys that represent different qualities of each house,” Bardy said in an interview. “The dogs are tested individually similar to the Sorting Hat process in the novels. In our case, the dog’s choice of toy indicates his house, not the Sorting Hat — but we do have one on hand.”

After they came up with this absolutely brilliant idea, it was up to the staff members to translate the House traits into their canine equivalents.

To refresh your memories, Gryffindors are brave and heroic; Slytherins are cunning and determined; Hufflepuffs are kind and loyal (and particularly good finders); and Ravenclaws are intelligent and witty. 

The shelter has sorted over 40 dogs into their respective houses, with Hufflepuff currently in the lead for most “students.” Ravenclaw is still a little sparse, but that just means more books and brainpower for the rest of the House.

Once a dog is sorted, they receive a special, canine-themed House banner to hang in his kennel. Current dog owners can also take the shelter’s fun quiz to figure out what House their current fur baby belongs to.

“The idea has created a lot of buzz and definitely an increase in walk-in traffic,” Bardy said. “We only implemented it a couple weeks ago but we are trending higher on adoptions over this time last year.” 

The dogs even get Harry Potter themed garb! Sadly, cats are less keen on the idea of wearing colorful scarves, so the staff have not tried to sort them yet.