Central Park

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

A photo of happy dogs with peopleat the Top Dog Tours Central Park fundraiser.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!

A photo of happy dogs with peopleat the Top Dog Tours Central Park fundraiser.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!

Check out Foster Dogs NYC at www.fosterdogsnyc.com & check out Muddy Paws Rescue NYC at www.muddypawsrescue.org

Highlight Photos from the Central “Bark” FUNdraiser

Even before I moved to New York, Central Park held a special place in my heart.

A photo of a stone bridge in Central Park with Falling Snow.When my husband and I were still dating, we took our first trip to NYC for some auditions. There was a huge snow storm coming into the city and after hopping on one of the last flights into New York, we spent the next week enjoying a beautiful snow covered NYC. One of the highlights of the trip was our visit to Central Park. The park looked like something out of a movie. There were snowmen, sledding hills, and dozens of people running around enjoying the park. I loved it so much that I thought there was no way the park would ever look prettier.

Fast forward to after I’ve lived in New York for a few years.

My mother was visiting the city along with her best friend (who had never visited NYC) as well as my sister. Now up until this point I hadn’t really spent much time in the park as I live in Queens. Since my mom’s friend had never seen the park, we decided to walk from one side to the other. We got lost pretty quickly, but to be completely honest none of us really minded. The great thing about Central Park in the Spring is that it’s so beautiful and lush. You can truly lose yourself on the winding trails and scenery tucked in the middle of the bustling city. I’ve since found out that Central Park was designed to make you get lost and forget where you are. It definitely delivers on that. There’s really nothing
like it anywhere in the world. My mother has literally called it an oasis.

When my husband and I started TopDogTours, we were definitely interested in creating a Central Park Tour but wanted to focus on lower Manhattan at first.

Over the past few months, we’ve been getting a lot of inquiries about touring Central Park, so we knew it was time to begin offering this unique one of a kind tour. One of the reasons I’m specifically excited about this tour is simply the fact that it’s IN Central Park. Who wouldn’t want to work in one of the most beautiful places in the world? I’m also thrilled to share the history of the park itself. Most visitors to New York walk through and don’t really know what they’re looking at and this tour will be a great way to take a break from the craziness of Manhattan as well as learn about the interesting history of the park. I’m hoping that this tour will become a guest favorite, because I know it will be one of mine.