More than 400 dogs — from Chihuahuas to Great Danes — took to the iconic Brooklyn Bridge under cover of darkness last night (Saturday, September 26) to raise funds for the 1 million pets that, according to ASPCA estimates, have lost or will lose their homes to foreclosure.

“The down economy has hit animal shelters twice as hard,” said Howard Wu, Kennel Supervisor for the Brooklyn Animal Resource Coalition (BARC), a non-profit, no-kill animal rescue shelter in New York City and one beneficiary of The Pup Crawl. “There is an increase in the number of animals being abandoned because people can’t afford to care for them any longer and, at the same time, we are seeing a sharp decline in donations. We’re caring for more animals with fewer funds.”

The Brooklyn Bridge Pup Crawl was inspired by a nighttime newscast that alerted some concerned New Yorkers about the devastating impact of the economic crisis on pets.

“Our goal is to help feed as many pets as possible in animal shelters across the country,” said Joseph Hassan, one organizer of The Pup Crawl. “Twenty dollars is enough to feed one shelter pet for an entire month.”

Mr. Hassan and his friends reached out to sympathetic businesses like Iams to provide pet food. Another partner, The LuLu Leash, donated the first-ever illuminated dog leash to highlight the nighttime dog walk, the cause and to help keep participants safe. And innovative music cooperative East Village Radio offered to start spreading the word over its airwaves.

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In addition to the Brooklyn shelter, other official Pup Crawl partner shelters included Get-A-Life Pet Rescue in Fort Lauderdale and Ace of Hearts in Los Angeles, making the effort a true coast-to-coast initiative. Organizers encouraged Americans to donate to local shelters across the country.

“If, months down the line, we hear that one pup or kitten — we love cats, too — has been reunited with a family that gave them up because of the financial crisis, we’ll have done our job,” said Mr. Hassan.

For more on The Pup Crawl and to find a partner shelter to which to donate visit www.thepupcrawl.com

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