Socially Conscious Brands & Dog Stars Come Together for Stylish Howl-oween Event!
Couple Hilary Sloan and Noah, with Ella Bean, and Suzanne Donaldson, aka Mrs. Sizzle, and Edie.
Do you prefer buying from socially conscious brands? I do. I like when brands I trust are doing their part in the world to help others. It’s like paying it forward.
I just went to this great Howl-oween fundraiser for the Humane Society of New York the other night, where some of the dog stars of Instagram gathered to draw attention to adopt, don’t shop, when adding a furry member to the family. It was organized by healthy, human grade dog biscuit brand, Maison de Pawz, and held at the tony Longchamps store on Madison Avenue. Many of the brands lucky enough to be included in the silent auction, give back as part of their corporate culture.
A favorite of mine, the pet carrier Bark n Bag, was one of those companies who donated to help raise funds. We recently gave a beautiful carrier away on Bark & Swagger. If you missed out, stay tuned until the end of this post, when you can enter our giveaway to win!
Chloe Kardoggian & Ella Bean hang out in their Bark n Bag Traveler Weekender
Yes, I love that Bark n Bag because the carriers are made well, comfortable and functional, but I also love that they routinely donate carriers to a host of animal shelters around the country, as well as 10% of the company’s net profits. Brand founder/CEO, David Fine, walks the walk; he is on the board of Broadway Barks, a wonderful organization that brings top talent from Broadway shows together to help raise money for shelters and hosts a big adoption drive at its annual Broadway Barks event. Bark & Swagger covered Broadway Barks in the past. Fine’s own rescued pup, Foster, an adorable Chihuahua, came from The Humane Society of New York.
Cubby in her glamorous, Going to the Met confection
While more and more brands give back, the adorable doggy stars of Instagram are pounding the pavements to help draw attention to adopting. And those in the house last night were rocking some seriously creative Howl-oween fare. Senior rescued Chi, Chloe Kardoggian (@chloekardoggian), rocked an El Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) suit, specially hand-drawn by mom, Dorie Herman – so beautiful! You’ll remember Amy & Danny Cox took top prize from the Tompkins Square Park Halloween contest honoring that holiday, as well.
Pint-sized, rescue Ella Bean (@ellabeanthedog) wore a rocker grrl moto jacket and cool shades; Gizmo (@newyorkdog), went as Frida Kahlo because mom, Lisa, works at the famed The Strand bookstore where Frida is a fave.
Gizmo (aka @NewYorkDog) with mom, Lisa, expresses herself a la Frida Kahlo
The hostess with the mostest and founder/owner of maison de pawZ, Mei Zien, wore a colorful vintage kaftan with a floral headpiece, accompanied by her gorgeous American Eskimo dog, Tyler, in solidarity with Chloe as a Dia de los Muertos doggy (drawn by Dorie). Also rocking an authentic, cultural costume was Cheeky, of Dog & Co. Mom, Melinda Montney, picked up a traditional kimono in Japan and created this very cool Japanese-inspired hair bun with flowers, which Cheeky kept tossing off.
Style arbiter and friend, Suzanne Donaldson, aka Mrs. Sizzle, showed up looking New York sharp with her adorable pup, Edie, patiently donning her little bat ears and wings for the occasion. Fashion photographer, Chantal Adair, better known as The Dog Styler (@thedogstyler), was snapping her top picks of the evening in a cool metallic blue top. And, some gorgeous pups up for adoption from the Humane Society of New York, of course, couldn’t miss out on the hot event (who could blame them?). Thanks to Anne-Marie Karash, Associate Director and Rebecca Mitrisin, both of the Humane Society of New York, for being such great chaperones for the pups – two adorable Dachshund/Beagle mixes and an American Eskimo, Roger, who was a spitting image for Mei Zien’s Tyler.
Cheeky, of Dog & Co, in her authentic kimono, purchased in Japan. Nice!
Anubis in a regal Egyptian costume.
Nina Rappaport with Holly of @hollyhappyhavanese; Elle Durin with Mochi of @mochiandthecity
Maddie as Groot with mom, Kelly Jones
Riley channeling his inner rap star, as Eminem, wearing his studded Poochieboots
Christina with Pebbles of @flintstonespups as love angels
Anyone for a fruppachino? Starbarks, that is!
ZZ models her western wear-inspired costume
While humans munched on yummy hors d’oeuvres, delish treats went to the dogs, provided of course, by maison de pawZ. Mei held a couple of flavors up to my nose for a whiff, and I swear they smelled better than some of the stuff I buy from the bakery. Lucky pups!
A bevy of brands turned out to donate to the auction, including Longchamp, LazyBonezz, Barkbox, Martha Stewart Pets, Found My Animal, Evermore, Hilarious Hound pet photography, Puppy Parties NYC, the amazing photographer, Sophie Gamand, and these cool, new brands, Poochieboots and DEN Dog Beds.
Christina Megill with a DEN Dog Bed she donated to be auctioned.
The sold-out event was a resounding success, raising money in the four figures, with guests taking home a lovely collar from luxury brand, LazyBonezz, to remember the night. I wonder how Jasper will feel about tooling around Fort Lauderdale in a metallic gold, zippered style? Can you say metrosexual? LOL
With the holidays just around the corner, where giving is a given, why not seek out brands that pay it forward, knowing you’re supporting those that give back?
The Giveaway
If you missed the event last night and the opportunity to bid for this great carrier, here’s another chance to own that same Bark n Bag, the Traveler Weekender! To enter, make sure you’re on the Bark & Swagger email list. Then, just follow us on Instagram, Like us on Facebook and do the same for Bark n Bag and you’re entered!
A beautiful Dachshund/Beagle mix, already a perfect poser, up for adoption at The Humane Society of New York
The bag’s details are:
- Inspired by antique trunks used for extended trips by stagecoach, train or steamships.
- Puts a new eco-friendly spin on old world charm. The fabric is made from recycled plastic bottles, bamboo rafters and an organic cotton absorbent liner.
- Dimensions are:
Small: 16″W x 9″H x 9″D. For pets up to 14″L x 7″H. Maximum weight: 8lbs
Medium: 18″W x 10″H x 10″D. For pets up to 16″L x 9″H. Maximum weight: 16lbs
Large: 20″W x 11″H x 11″D. For pets up to 18″L x 10″H. Maximum weight: 22lbs
The giveaway will run from Sunday, November 1st at 9pm EST to Saturday, November 7th at 11:59pm EST. A winner will be chosen at random.
As we’ve just wrapped up Adopt A Shelter Dog Month, let’s agree to make adopting our go to choice. Make every month Adopt A Shelter Dog Month. As actress Joanne Worley, President of Actors and Others for Animals and a friend/longtime customer of Bark n Bag , said, “My little rescue dog, Harmony, is a constant reminder to me of how important it is to take care of our animal companions and friends.” Let’s do our part to help take care of the animals of the world.
Hope everyone had a great, safe Howl-oween, and can’t wait to see the creations on display next year!
What did you do for Halloween?
Kabuki meets ghoul with Theresa Wong’s Day of the Dead costume, with Bebe, as Batman
This blog post is sponsored by Bark n Bag, which means we were paid to create and feature this content. Regardless of the payment received, we only feature products and services on Bark & Swagger that we use, love and/or feel our readers would benefit from using. All sponsored posts on Bark & Swagger will always reflect our honest and unbiased opinions.
