Castellana Properties Socimi S A : joins the fight against animal abandonment with new campaign Una Animalá de Cariño, set to land at shopping centres across Spain

• The company hopes to reduce the incidence of animal abandonment with a little help from Pulguitas: a mascot designed especially for the campaign by illustrator Luis de Mano to reflect a typical abandoned dog

• At Pulguitas Store, a pop-up space to appear at all the firm's shopping centres and at Granaita retail park, visitors can find a giant soft toy Pulguitas, ready to soak up all the love and attention he deserves. Children's workshops, storytelling sessions, videos, talks and a range of special discounts and prizes will offer fun activities for all the family

• With this new campaign, Castellana Properties continues to build on its pledge to spotlight social issues through innovative and transformative initiatives, creating new spaces of interaction and making a positive impact on the regions in which it operates

Castellana Properties, a listed company specialising in the retail sector, has teamed up with the agency Siberia to launch a new social awareness campaign across its portfolio to help prevent cases of animal abandonment. The campaign, Una Animalá de Cariño, aims to convey the reality of this issue in Spain, where an estimated 285,000 animals are abandoned every year according to the Affinity Foundation.

The face of this very special campaign is Pulguitas, a loveable mascot designed for the occasion by the illustrator Luis de Mano. Abandoned by his owners during the summer holidays, little Pulguitas is searching for a new girl or boy to care for him and shower him with love. Pulguitas displays some of the typical characteristics of abandoned dogs, as reported by animal protection organisations. Still just a pup, he's a mongrel with no collar or microchip and a protruding tongue due to prolonged hunger and thirst. Scared and alone, Pulguitas needs all the hugs he can get. The story of his life has been made into a tale for children, performed by a storyteller at sessions held throughout the campaign. A limited number of storybooks have also been produced, to be given away at random to a few lucky participants.

Pulguitas Store, a specially created pop-up shop, will host a giant cuddly toy of the pup. In the "welcome" zone, visitors can meet Pulguitas and give him a hug to make him feel loved. A "cuddle counter" will keep track of every hug, and if Pulguitas barks, the hugger will receive their very own Pulguitas soft toy. Further instore, younger visitors will have the opportunity to learn all about pet care and take part in three different workshops, where they can design a collar or kennel for Pulguitas or create their own lucky charm. An adjacent exhibition space will be open between 10 am and 10 pm, where visitors can find out more about the background to the initiative and the issue of pet abandonment in Spain, with a particular focus on animal adoptions.

Finally, retailers Kiwoko and Tiendanimal will present a series of educational talks in partnership with local NGOs, as well as offering in-store discounts for the duration of the campaign. Followers of each centre's social media accounts will be in with a chance to win a year of free pet food worth €4,000.

Cristina Macarrón, CMO at Castellana Properties, commented: "it is a great source of pride for the company to offer our shopping centres as a platform for alternative social and leisure activities suitable for all. Una Animalá de Affection will run at all of our centres between September and October, aiming to bring home the importance of tackling animal abandonment to visitors of all ages, by promoting responsible pet ownership based on respect, affection and proper care. Campaigns like this one reflect our commitment to creating powerful spaces of social discovery for all of our visitors."

The campaign will run at each of the company's shopping centres as follows: Habaneras (Alicante): 8-10 September, Granaita (Granada): 15-17 September, Puerta Europa (Cádiz): 21-23 September, Bahía Sur (Cádiz): 28-30 September, Los Arcos (Seville): 5-7 October, El Faro (Badajoz): 19-21 October and Vallsur (Valladolid): 26-28 October.