It all started with a Corgi in a backpack on a crowded subway car. Bryan Reisberg noticed that his dog Maxine had a way of cheering people up and bringing some light into their daily commutes. Serious faces became smiles and the stress seemed to fade away. It’s hard not to be happy when there’s a Corgi starting at you from inside a backpack. Before long, Reisberg started posting videos of his urban adventures with Maxine, growing into a viral sensation. He ended up quitting his job to create a dog backpack brand — Little Chonk — and a friend encouraged Bryan to see if he could help some homeless shelter dogs as well. He met with the staff of Best Friends Animal Society, and together they came up with the idea for Bryan to pick up a shelter dog each week and take it into the city in a backpack that has an “Adopt Me” label attached to it. He now shoots videos with the dogs, many of whom have been in shelters for months. So far, 11 dogs have been featured, with every one of them getting adopted. What’s even more impressive is that adoptions at the shelter have increased substantially because of the notoriety. One of Bryan's recent videos on Instagram featured Bertha, a 6-year-old bulky white dog that rode piggyback, adding some 65-pounds to Bryan’s backpack. Bertha strolled through Queens, rode on the subway, gave plenty of slobbery kisses, and seemed to capture hearts across both New York City and the Internet. “Well this lovely video should have potential adopters lined up around the block for Bertha,” one Instagram commenter wrote. Indeed, Reisberg’s magic didn’t take long, and he shared the good news soon afterward: "Miss Bertha was just adopted by a lovely family on long island with a nice big house!” Bryan says it’s the perfect way to get the word out. “Your best friend is waiting for you and you don’t even realize it,” he wrote.
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| Bertha |
