Washington Humane Society’s Bark Ball | thepupdiary.com

17 Jun

We love weekend getaways to Washington, DC in the spring.  This year we decided to schedule our trip to coincide with the 27th annual Bark Ball at the Washington Hilton.  A dog-friendly black-tie party at a dog-friendly hotel in one of our fave dog-friendly cities sounded like fun!

The Bark Ball was one BIG party! Over one thousand humans and several hundred pups in one huge ballroom at the Hilton. Outside of the annual Meet the Breeds event, we have never seen so many different breeds at one event! We even saw several Westies, which we rarely see in NYC!  A long red carpet led us to the reception room where we found a cute doggy treat and water station courtesy of Barkley Square.  After the reception we headed downstairs to a huge ballroom for the program and dinner.

Barkley Square dog cookies at the Bark Ball

Barkley Square dog cookies at the Bark Ball

So was the biggest black-tie doggy pawty the best? Not necessarily, but it was fun! We enjoyed a cocktail hour, a vegetarian dinner, and a variety of great silent and live auction items. We somehow missed the dancing hour — probably because we were outside on the Hilton’s dog-friendly patio enjoying the beautiful evening. We will go back! The Washington Humane Society cares for more than 43,000 animals each year. They need a BIG fundraising party to care for that many animals!

Paper dresses for dogs | thepupdiary.com

13 Jun

Our friends at Yorkie911 Rescue were inspired by the cute and extremely talented 4-year old girl who makes Oscar-worthy paper dresses that could be featured on the cover of Vogue!  If a 4-year old can make a pretty paper dress, certainly a doggy mom can give it a try!

At their recent 5th annual Rescues Rock the Runway charity event at the UpSky hotel on Long Island, Yorkie Rescue  event coordinators presented a “designer challenge” and asked doggies to rock the runway in paper dresses.  Since we love to support the all-volunteer rescue group, we decided to give it a try.  We used an Eataly brown shopping bag and a floral bouquet we had in the house. With a “natural spring” theme, we attached flowers and greenery to the paper bag with Elmer’s Glue. The bag handles made a perfect collar and the stiff paper kept its shape.  We used a simple ribbon to tie at the waist.

Time spent: 45 minutes.

Cost: zero.

Fun factor: all paws up!

The event also featured a fashion show where adoptable and rescued pups walked the runway in beautiful designs from Tuck & Tula, Belle Diva Couture, and Yvette Ruta with Hayley’s Hats.  Guests enjoyed a buffet lunch, doggy treats, vendors (the Gerrard Larriett balancing rose spray is amazing), and over 60 pawsome raffle prizes!   This is one of our favorite doggy events for a great cause!  Funds raised at the event will help the group purchase a vehicle to help transport even more pups.

An Eataly bag becomes a gown

An Eataly bag becomes a gown

Hamilton Pug’s Black Collar Gala #hampuggala | thepupdiary.com

13 Jun

We headed to Bark & Co (the geniuses behind BarkBox) headquarters last night for some doggy fun and fundraising for the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals. Hamilton Pug, a cute pup rescued from a shelter in Ohio, organized the shindig and invited lots of doggy friends! It was so much fun to see Instagram doggy friends in person! The Pugs sure do know how to pawty! PugLove!!

Hamilton raised over $1,100 for the Mayor’s Alliance – way to go Ham! Hoping to see many of the pups at the Barkfest in Madison Square Park this summer! And if you are looking for a new furry friend, check out the new BarkBuddy app!

On the green carpet

On the green carpet

Wordless Wednesday | thepupdiary.com

11 Jun

We have been on the road! Beautiful sunsets in Menemsha on Martha’s Vineyard!

Wordless Wednesday | thepupdiary.com

28 May

We visited the Space Needle in Seattle on a beautiful and sunny day!