Startup BarkBox Hosted A Puppy Adoption Event To Save The Lives Of Innocent Animals
BarkBox
Startup BarkBox hosted its first-ever puppy adoption event in New York over the weekend.
The Bark & Co "Pup Up" was the startup's spin on an adoption event.
It featured on-site vets and puppy matchmakers to help pair puppies with the perfect the owner.
Each pup cost $500 to adopt, with all proceeds going back to rescue centers and shelters.
Many of these puppies came from Alabama, where over 100,000 animals are killed in shelters every year.
BarkBox co-founder Henrik Werdelin told Business Insider he set up the event for two reasons…
T here are too many dogs that end up getting euthanized
There's a stigma around adopting dogs from foster homes and shelters.
To fight that stigma, Bark & Co hosted its event in the middle of New York city neighborhood SoHo.
He hoped the hip location would help attract "swing adopters" – people who wouldn't normally go to a pet adoption event, but might be swayed by a stylish event space, hip music, and some of the cutest puppies they've ever seen.
Adoption events are usually pretty depressing, Werdelin says. They can sometimes leave people feeling responsible for the puppy's life if they decide not to adopt it.
But with Bark & Co.'s event, that thought didn't need to cross anyone's mind. Any puppies unable to find a permanent home would live in a foster care home for the time being.
That wouldn't be necessary, though. By the time the event ended yesterday, all 40 puppies had found a home.
With Bark & Co.'s $6.7 million in funding, they have the flexibility to do things like this. Werdelin tells us that Bark & Co. hopes to do more events like this in the future.
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