It all started with a Corgi in a backpack in a crowded subway car.
Bryan Reisberg noticed that his dog Maxine had a way of cheering people up, bringing some light into their lives during their daily commutes underground. Serious faces became smiles. Stress faded. Heavy loads got lighter.
It’s hard not to be happy when there’s a Corgi staring at you from inside a backpack.
Before long, Reisberg, a New York City resident, started posting videos of his urban adventures with Maxine on social media. Soon, his dog won over everyone on the web too, growing into a viral sensation with millions of views.
“She was known as ‘the dog in the backpack’ all over the world,” Bryan told the Washington Post. “It was crazy and totally unexpected.”
He ended up quitting his job to create a dog backpack brand, Little Chonk— and a friend encouraged Bryan to see if he could maybe help some homeless shelter dogs too.
So, he met with people at Best Friends Animal Society, and together, they came up with an idea. Every week, Bryan picks up a shelter dog and takes it into the city in a backpack that has an “Adopt Me” label attached to it.
He shoots videos with the dogs and adds his professional polish to turn the abandoned pets, many of whom have been in shelters for months, into social media superstars. At last count, his content had surpassed 75 million views.
“It’s such a morale boost for our team,” said Julie Castle, CEO of the Best Friends Animal Society. “When Bryan comes in and uses his channels to influence adoption, he’s a hero to these dogs and to our staff.”
11 dogs have been featured so far, with every one of them getting adopted, except for one plagued by an ongoing medical problem. But what’s even more impressive is that adoptions at the shelter have increased substantially. Castle said about 100 more dogs have been adopted than this same time last year. And the backpack is likely the reason why.
One of his 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.
“What a beauty!” another person wrote. “Bertha, your happily ever after is coming.”
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!!!
“Perfect way to get the word out about the beautiful souls that are all alone and need love,” Instagram commenter azulbelles wrote, punctuating her response with pawprints.
“Your best friend is waiting for you and you don’t even realize it.”
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“I cry happy love tears every time you do one of these amazing posts!” wrote shiloh muther runner. “My heart gets so warm!”
KEEP BERTHA AND HER FRIENDS RUNNING ACROSS the INTERNET By Sharing This on Your Social Media Feed…