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The Summer's Best Party Was For Dogs, Not Humans

This article is more than 8 years old.

On one of the hottest Sundays of the summer 10,000 dogs from around New York City transcended on 50 Kent, a riverside lot in Williamsburg, Brooklyn for the “pawty” of the year.

It was thrown by BarkBox, a 100 million dollar company that was started three-and-a-half years ago by three entrepreneurs obsessed with their pups. They started with a subscription service that sends a box of surprises (dog food, treats, toys, etc.) to pets once a month. Now they have a website that attracts over 10 million unique users a month, a few dog-centric apps, and a wing that professionally represents celebrity dogs. They even helped launch that irresistible Budweiser super bowl ad with the lost puppy who gets helped by a brave horse.

The company has tripled in the last year, said co-founder Henrik Werdelin. “What we’ve seen is that the spending on dogs has increased a lot, but the amount of dogs has stayed the same...People love their dogs, and they want to make sure they are happy.”

Last summer they threw a film festival in Madison Square Garden where canines and their owners sprawled out on picnic blankets and watched homemade dog documentaries. That event attracted 500 dogs, and this year they wanted to stage an even more elaborate party, said Matt Meeker, CEO and another co-founder.  “I wanted to throw someone really really really big and cool and fun with lots of activities.”

The result was BarkFest 2015, a free, all-day bash centered around dogs. While humans fought off heatstroke, their dogs frolicked in swimming pools, mastered obstacle courses, ate snacks from the dog food truck, got massages in the relaxation room, and took selfies with celebrity dogs (less new media savvy dogs could opt for old-fashioned pictures drawn by professional caricaturists.) There were even dog-friendly fireworks, and a hot dog eating contest. “It’s not about how many,” said Meeker. “It’s one, and it’s speed.”

And if they thought this party was fun, they have much more to look forward to in the future, said Meeker.  They are talking about taking over 50 Kent for the whole summer next year and have pools and fountains set up permanently for dogs. There are also plans to hold BarkFest events in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin, and Chicago. As Werdelin said, “This is not a crazy New Yorker thing. This is a crazy-everybody who loves their dog thing.” (You can read about upcoming events here.)

The whole point is that dogs are slowly getting the same status as humans, and someone has to provide the same parties and festivals and fun we all want. “These dogs are treated as people,” said Werdelin. “What you see happening in the people world,” said Werdelin. “You are seeing the same things happen in the dog world.”

Check out the highlights from BarkFest 2015 below.

Most dogs arrived from around New York City on the subway or in taxis. This dog drove 24 hours to get to BarkFest from Dallas, Texas.

The hit of the day: The splash zone. "We are trying to turn over the waters in the pool," said Meeker. "It gets nasty.” The dogs didn't seem to mind.

For most dogs, fireworks and their booming sounds are their worst nightmare. However, these fireworks are designed for dogs. When a dog barks, it is rewarded with flashing LED lights that stimulate canine senses and treats that emerge from the bottom.

This dog enjoyed a massage in the relaxation station from not one but two people.

For the challenge-seeking dog, there was hoop and jump filled agility course.

This a 300-person line to meet Marnie the dog, a celebrity pooch with 1.6 million followers on Instagram. Some of these dogs are so popular, BarkBox has to call in security to manage the crowds when they come into the office for meetings. All the celebrity dogs have their own agent and business manager.