We came, we saw, we PUPPIED!
Our #PupRally2021 was many months in the making. From when our three puppies were just seven and eight weeks old, we knew they were destined for stardom. Working with two partner organizations: Louie’s Legacy (Fozzie) and BARRK LI (Bingo and Bluey), we were able to raise these dogs in sporty foster homes where they were super socialized and football-savvy by the time the big day arrived. Our incredible volunteers Ana and Nancy brought the three future-celebs to Upstate New York, for a two-day commitment of shooting and travel, and social-distancing the whole way through. Thanks to their help, we got to see our babies on the big screen!
Meet the puppies:
Headshots by @thedogist
Illustration by Andrea Caceres @andrecaceresg
Sunday February 7th, we threw an epic virtual event: #PupRally2021. Last year on “Puppy Bowl Sunday,” we threw a huge party at Boris & Horton to celebrate our brindle babe Mocha playing in Puppy Bowl XVI. Now, at Puppy Bowl XVII, we had the chance to celebrate three stunning fluffs becoming world-famous on Animal Planet. Hosted by Dan Schachner, the Puppy Bowl Referee, and our Founder and Director Sarah Brasky, this event was one for the ages. [Read more about our PBXVII babies’ adoption stories on our blog]
Tito’s Vodka matched donations up to $1,000 during the event, and Wisdom Panel donated $250 towards our goal.
Thanks to all our supporters, we raised $6,000 - that’s $1,000 over our event goal!
Special Guests
Mei-i Zien from maison de pawZ gave a cooking-show-worthy demo for a no-bake game-day dog-friendly football cookie. Mei-i met Marcel a few years ago at a Foster Dogs adoption event!
Brian Taylor @thedogfatherofharlem gave his insight into the groomer’s world and his Pup Relief Tour, and chatted with Fozzie his grooming subject from the show. Andrea Cáceres drew live pup-portraits for two of our raffle winners, and trainer Robert Hausmann of Dogboy NYC talked training tips with Bingo and showed off his former Puppy Bowl champion Josey, who played 7 years ago. We also had surprise appearances from Animal Planet’s Puppy Bowl sideline reporter Sonya Gavankar and Puppy Bowl trainer and dog wrangler Victoria Schade.
The Big Game:
Images above by Elias Weiss Friedman @thedogist for Animal Planet
Party Packs
Each of our attendees were able to choose from various ticket levels, including a “Touchdown” Party Kit, packed with football toys, cookies (for humans and for dogs), and event stickers! These custom-made limited-edition toys made by PrideBites really were the kicker we needed to make this a memorable occasion!
Raffles:
A “Pup Rally” wouldn’t be complete without raffles! The following companies sent their support to make this a fun and festive occasion: Wisdom Panel, Finn, BarkBox, HOADIN, Ground & Hounds, Boris & Horton, Tito’s Vodka. Winners were chosen throughout the 1.5 hour “Pup Rally” event.
The WILD, WILD PRESS:
Rolling Stone, NY1, People, Time Out New York, doNYC, and more!
NY1 shares in their segment, "Puppy Bowl has been a huge boost in helping expand our reach when we can talk about fostering with a totally new audience that we've never been able to reach before," says Foster Dogs Inc Founder Sarah Brasky.
FEATURED SEGMENTS on ANIMAL PLANET’s PUPPY BOWL:
All three of our previous pups were part of exciting game-time featurettes on Animal Planet, including Fozzie who was groomed by @dogfatherofharlem Brian, a featured guest of our Pup Rally event. Our Founder and Executive Director Sarah Brasky @thedogmatchmaker brought Fozzie to Harlem NYC for a grooming session with Brian, and to share his story. Fozzie was always handsome, but seeing his fur look so shiny and healthy made him look totally game-time-ready!
Thanks to our host @danschachner, our special guests (human), our furry pup guests, raffle donors, corporate donors, volunteers, and all who made this event possible. Didn’t get a chance to donate? There’s still a chance!
