For Immediate Release

Monday, March 14, 2011

500 Dogs to March Across Brooklyn Bridge in Nighttime Pup Parade to Raise Money for Animal Shelters and Rescues Nationwide

The Humane Society of the United States, The Mayor's Alliance for New York City's Animals^® and Petfinder.com Team Up To Support The Brooklyn Bridge Pup Crawl

New York, NY – Wednesday, March 30, 2011 – Five hundred dogs are expected to march from Manhattan to Brooklyn on Saturday, April 16, as part of the second Brooklyn Bridge Pup Crawl, a colorful nighttime dog parade that raises funds for animal shelters and rescues across the country. More than 300 dogs — from Chihuahuas to Dachshunds and Great Danes — are already registered for the event, which was launched in 2009 to help animal shelters hard hit by the economic crisis.

"In this difficult economy, shelters and rescue groups need donations more than ever to keep up with the demand for their lifesaving efforts," said Jane Hoffman, President of the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals^®, a coalition of more than 150 animal shelters and rescue groups committed to ending the killing of healthy and treatable cats and dogs at New York City shelters.

Proceeds from The Pup Crawl event are shared equally among five non-profit animal rescue organizations: Ace of Hearts (Los Angeles), Bobbi and the Strays (New York), Sean Casey Animal Rescue (New York), Get A Life Pet Rescue (Ft. Lauderdale), and Pets for Life NYC, a program of The Humane Society of the United States that provides free and reduced-cost hands-on assistance, resources, and solutions to help keep pets with their families for life.

"The Pup Crawl walk is a great way to raise awareness and funds for shelter pets," said Jane Harrell, associate producer of Petfinder.com, the world's first and largest searchable directory of adoptable pets on the Web. Petfinder.com is one of the event's major sponsors. "I'm looking forward to going and plan to bring at least one shelter dog with me. Hopefully the event can help encourage New Yorkers to adopt, rather than buy, a pet."

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. Sales of The Pup Crawl Leash (visible from a quarter of a mile away) raise funds for local animal shelters and rescues across the country and Pets for Life NYC. To date, more than 140 shelters and rescues in 31 states and Puerto Rico are raising funds through The Pup Crawl Leash program, which provides three dollars to these organizations every time they refer a sale online. Any non-profit shelter or rescue in the United States can participate.

Advance registration is required for The Pup Crawl, which begins with doggie mingling in City Hall Park at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 16. Anyone can support The Pup Crawl by attending the event, purchasing the leash, or spreading the word to friends and family. Please visit www.thepupcrawl.com for more information.

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

31 States and Puerto Rico Are Part of The Pup Crawl Movement

More than 140 shelters and rescues from 31 states and Puerto Rico are participating in The Pup Crawl affiliate program and any non-profit rescue or shelter can join the movement at www.thepupcrawl.com. To date, rescues and shelters in the following states are taking part: Alabama, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

A full list of participating rescues and shelters is available at: www.thepupcrawl.com/america.