Who Let the Dogs Out?

Both tourists and native New Yorkers enjoy strolling the Brooklyn Bridge after sunset to view the spectacular city skyline. But tonight, walkers will be joined by a bunch of four-legged friends.

According to a New York Daily News story, the first Brooklyn Bridge Pup Crawl aims to raise awareness and money for pets that lost their homes in foreclosures. After sunset tonight, a group of volunteers and other participants will walk dogs on neon leashes across the bridge from Manhattan to Brooklyn. Organizers hope that the event will help raise money for local and national animal shelters, which have experienced strained resources due to the recent influx of homeless pets.

And there are certainly enough homeless pets in need: The ASPCA estimates that up to one million pets have lost their homes due to foreclosure, and that's on top the regular number of strays and rescue animals.

Twenty-nine-year-old Joseph Hassan organized the event. To do so, he got together dozens of volunteers and contacted companies to donate food and products. Pet food company IAMS provided hundreds of pounds of kibble and LuLu Leash donated the neon leashes.

All donations will be given to local and national pet shelters in Florida and California. To donate or get involved, click here.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.