500 Dogs to March Across Brooklyn Bridge to Raise Money for Animal Shelters and Rescues Nationwide in Rescheduled Nighttime Pup Parade
New York, NY – Wednesday, August 24, 2011 – Hundreds of dogs are expected to march from Manhattan to Brooklyn as they take part in the second annual Brooklyn Bridge Pup Crawl, a colorful nighttime dog parade that raises funds for animal shelters and rescues across the country. Initially scheduled for April, The Pup Crawl was postponed due to severe thunderstorms and after much anticipation has been rescheduled for Saturday, October 22. For the first time, the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals and Petfinder.com are Pup Crawl partners.
“We’re extremely grateful for the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation’s help in rescheduling this year’s Brooklyn Bridge Pup Crawl,” said Joseph Hassan, one of the event’s founders. “And we can’t wait to see all of our human and pooch Pup Crawlers, who have been so patient as we worked to reschedule this year’s Pup Crawl.”
The first Pup Crawl was held on the Brooklyn Bridge in 2009 and raised thousands of dollars for local shelters in New York, California, and Florida. Rescues and shelters around the country heard about the nighttime fundraiser and, since then, additional Pup Crawls have taken place in California, Arizona, and Pennsylvania, with more events underway for 2012. Collectively, thousands of dogs and their owners have helped to raise tens of thousands of dollars for rescue and shelter pets across the country.
During The Pup Crawl, dogs and their owners will keep safe and shed light on the cause by using a brand new illuminated dog leash called The Pup Crawl Lights-Up Leash, which is visible from a quarter of a mile away. Sales of The Pup Crawl Leash raise funds for local animal shelters and rescues across the country To date, more than 390 shelters and rescues in 45 states and Puerto Rico are raising funds through The Pup Crawl Leash program, which provides three dollars to one of these organizations for every leash sold. Any non-profit shelter or rescue in the United States can sign up to participate.
Due to overwhelming demand, registration has closed for this year’s Brooklyn Bridge Pup Crawl, which kicks off with doggie mingling in City Hall Park at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 22. Limited space is still available for media registration. Anyone can support The Pup Crawl mission by purchasing the leash or spreading the word to friends and family. Please visit www.thepupcrawl.com for more information.
Media/Photographer Registration
If you are a member of the media and would like to attend The Pup Crawl, please e-mail press@thepupcrawl.com.
Photographs and Link to Release
A link to the full text of this release, plus high-resolution photographs of the inaugural Pup Crawl event and Pup Crawlers trying out the new leash, are available on The Pup Crawl website. On Twitter, The Pup Crawl is @pupcrawl / #pupcrawl
45 States and Puerto Rico Are Part of The Pup Crawl Movement
More than 390 shelters and rescues from 45 states and Puerto Rico are participating in The Pup Crawl affiliate program. To date, rescues and shelters in the following states are taking part: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, West Virginia and Wyoming.
A full list of participating rescues and shelters is available at: www.thepupcrawl.com/america.
About The Pup Crawl™
The Pup Crawl was conceived as the first-ever nighttime dog parade over the iconic Brooklyn Bridge. It began in 2009 in response to the one million pets expected to lose their homes to the foreclosure crisis. Today, The Pup Crawl raises awareness about the impact of the financial crisis on local animal shelters and rescues and money for animal shelters and rescues across the country. www.thepupcrawl.com
About the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals®
The Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals, Inc., founded in 2002 and powered by Maddie’s Fund, The Pet Rescue Foundation, with support from the ASPCA, is a coalition of more than 150 animal rescue groups and shelters working with Animal Care & Control of New York City (AC&C) to end the killing of healthy and treatable cats and dogs at AC&C shelters. To achieve that goal, the Alliance, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation, helps its Alliance Participating Organizations (APOs) work to their highest potential to increase pet adoptions and spay/neuter rates, with the goal of transforming New York City into a no-kill community by 2015. www.AnimalAllianceNYC.org
About Petfinder.com
Petfinder.com is the largest online, searchable database of animals that need permanent homes. With more than 340,000 adoptable pets from over 13,500 animal shelters and rescue groups throughout the USA, Canada, and Mexico, Petfinder.com has facilitated more than 17 million adoptions since it was launched in 1996. In addition to being an adoption database, Petfinder.com is an all-inclusive resource guide for how to select the right family pet and build a successful, life-long relationship. Thanks to its sponsors, the site is free to both visitors and to its animal placement organization members. www.petfinder.com
Media Contacts
The Pup Crawl
Office: (917) 679-1245
E-mail: press@thepupcrawl.com
Meredith Klinger, M. Silver Associates
Office: (212) 754-6500 x238
E-mail: meredith@msilver-pr.com