Man in New York helps shelter dogs get adopted by carrying them around in his backpack.
37-year-old Bryan walks around NYC carrying shelter dogs in his backpack to help them get adopted. Together, they would go on a subway ride, enjoy a treat, a toy and some time walking or playing outside. Bryan’s initiative led more people walking into the shelter for adoption and there have been 100 more dog adoptions since.
Bryan Reisberg, 37, is a Tiktoker with 4.1 million subscribers. People know him after watching his backpack adventures with his dog, Maxine. But ever since Maxine got caught up with health problems, Bryan decided to give other dogs a chance, especially shelter dogs. So he teams up with Best Friends Animal Society, and off he goes to have a day out with dogs from the shelter. He would buy them treats and record his interactions with the dogs.
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One day, Bryan was walking a shelter dog in his backpack when a woman walked up to the dog and began petting it. Without delay, Bryan steps back so that she and her daughter could scratch her….until the little girl asks, ‘Can I take her home?’
Bryan replies, ‘This is exactly why we are taking her out so that she could get adopted.’ He then directed the mother and her daughter to an adoption website where they can submit an application.
As for the shelter, they had started to fill up with dog overcrowding. It had led to a point where other animal shelters, such as Animal Care Centers of NYC have already stopped taking in pets. But Bryan’s initiative has surfaced as a new model to encourage people to adopt pets. When they see these dogs on the roads, instead of ‘behind the bars,’ people are encouraged to think, “Isn’t he a cute pooch….” Followed by, “Can I take him home?”
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Now, whenever the shelter thinks that they have a dog who would love to sit in Bryan’s backpack and enjoy a little tour around the city, they would give him a call.
The results? Since the time Bryan started recording these videos, the Best Friends Animal Society has had 100 more adoptions, especially the large dogs, which is ironic because they aren’t typically ‘city dogs.’
Some people would even visit the shelter hoping that they could find one the dogs that has been ‘featured’ in Bryan’s video.
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It suggests how Bryan’s initiative has led to more traffic for the shelter. The shelter decided to expand on this and allow people to borrow a dog for a day of pampering and overnight stays.
Bryan himself considered adopting one of the dogs he went on a walk with. However, another family had already showed up at an early adoption event and took her home.
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