Our First ‘TopDog’ Central Park Fundraiser for Dogs

When the company first started, I knew I wanted to give back in a way we wouldn’t be able to as private citizens.

Once we had gotten our bearings as new business owners, I was trying to figure out what kind of cause we should hold an event for. We had adopted our younger dog Scarlett, last year from Muddy Paws Rescue here in NYC and I followed them on Instagram (who doesn’t love seeing cute dogs in their feed) and was on their mailing list. Holding a fundraiser for dog rescues soon became a clear choice as I saw dozens of dogs on a weekly basis who needed homes. I pitched the idea to our social media manager Paige Chernick (who is the mom of insta-famous pups @puppynamedcharlie and a rescue dog mom as well) who loved the idea and got me in contact with another rescue organization Foster Dogs NYC.

Once we agreed on a date, I went into full planning mode. We had decided to do a dog friendly tour of Central Park. To me it was an obvious choice. This was one of our new tours, and the park is a great place to take dogs. It would also give the chance for people in the park to see dogs that were up for adoption and get their attention as we walked around. I decided to include a Photo Booth aspect as well so people could take cute shots with their pups.

As with any event, you cross your fingers and hope people show up. We were not disappointed by the turnout. People showed up with pups of all ages and sizes, and people met dogs that they could adopt. The tour was awesome (though the real stars were the dogs, because who can compete with dozens of adorable pups) and as we walked through the park people not taking the tour would ask what we were doing and even take pictures!

We raised $800 for both groups; I consider it was a fantastic success for our first event. The money went directly to the two organizations to provide medical care, food, and resources needed to help these dogs looking for their forever home. Even before we had the event, we got inquiries about this possibly happening again, so we decided to make this a monthly tour with our company. The first Sunday of the month July thru November will be a dog friendly walk of Central Park. As a dog owner, I’m always looking for fun things do with my fur-babies, so something like this is enjoyable for people who want to enjoy a nice day with their dogs. We’re looking forward to showing New Yorkers with 2 and 4 legs a good time on the Central Bark Tour!