Representative Image of a shelter dog finding a home and being renamed by its new owner in a heartwarming adoption scene (AI Generated Image)
On September 15, Steve Wruble was standing in line at a Starbucks in New York City when he noticed a dog sitting in a backpack on a man’s shoulders. The dog, a 1-year-old named Missy, was being carried around the city by content creator Bryan Reisberg, who takes shelter dogs on outings to help them get adopted. The Post reported that Reisberg had taken more than 60 dogs out for a day, with many eventually being adopted, but none had found a home as quickly as Missy. Maxine became popular on social media, and Reisberg and his wife, Alex Garyn, eventually built a following of about 7 million people across platforms. Maxine also won a Webby Award in 2022, according to Forbes. Forbes reports that the backpacks are designed to carry dogs weighing between 20 and 100 pounds. His first outing was with Axl, a 10-month-old puppy from Best Friends. By June 2026, Reisberg had helped34 dogs from the Best Friends Pet Adoption Center in New York and its shelter partners find homes, along with two dogs from Pennsylvania shelters, according to Forbes. That gives a documented total of 36 dogs at the time of the June report, rather than the more than 60 dogs he had taken out on day trips. She also said a fellow New Yorker sponsored 100 backpacks, providing one for each adoption. Missy’s quick adoption comes against a backdrop of millions of dogs and cats moving through U.S. shelters and rescues each year.The 2025 Annual Data Report from Shelter Animals Count estimates that 5.8 million dogs and cats entered shelters and rescues in the United States in 2025, 121,000 fewer than in 2024, a decline of about 2%. The report also estimates that 4.2 million dogs and cats were adopted, an increase of 0.7% from the previous year. The report also records 597,000 animals euthanized in 2025, including 320,000 dogs. Shelter Animals Count says non-live outcomes, which include euthanasia as well as animals that died or were lost in care, totaled 757,000. The ASPCA’s 2025 shelter statistics also point to longer stays for dogs, particularly large dogs. The organisation says approximately 597,000 animals were euthanised in U.S. shelters in 2025, with about 320,000 of them dogs. It reports that dog euthanasia declined by nearly 7% from 2024. 15; he decided that night that he wanted to adopt her, and three days later he returned to Bideawee to take her home.
Because of severe arthritis and could take only short walks, in 2025, Maxine was placed on crate rest. Forbes reported that the dogs he featured were generally adopted within a day or two of their videos being posted. Best Friends launched its Adventure Buddies program at its adoption centres in New York City and Los Angeles, allowing people to take shelter dogs outside the centres for activities such as walks, hikes or time relaxing away from the shelter.
Three days later, he returned to the shelter, adopted her and renamed her Misty, according to The Washington Post. Reisberg took Axl on public transportation, bought him toys and a whipped-cream “pup cup” and documented the trip. He told Forbes that the dogs often became comfortable in the backpacks, allowing people to see their personalities in a setting outside the shelter. He told Forbes that the experience changed how he viewed shelter adoption, while also saying that choosing to get a dog from a responsible breeder is a decision for individual families. His adoption rides also earned him a 2026 Webby Award and People’s Voice Award in the “Creators: Cause-Driven Partnership” category. Julie Castle, CEO and president of Best Friends Animal Society, told Forbes that the organisation was receiving a large number of requests from people interested in dogs Reisberg had featured. Castle told Forbes that the program gives people another opportunity to interact with adoptable dogs outside the shelter environment.
Wruble locked eyes with the dog and petted her head, while the dog licked his face. Their connection was immediate. Wruble left his contact information with Bideawee, where Missy had been staying for about a month, and thought about her throughout the day. That night, he decided he wanted to adopt her. The adoption was unusually quick even by Reisberg’s standards. Reisberg’s shelter-dog outings grew out of his experience carrying his own corgi, Maxine, in a backpack. After he received a ticket for taking Maxine on the New York City subway without a carrier, he began transporting her in a backpack and sharing their trips online. Reisberg later left his work in advertising and film and spent two years working with a friend to develop a canine backpack, eventually launching the company Little Chonk. Around that time, Chris Equale, a fellow content creator and close friend behind the corgi account @hammyandolivia, suggested that Reisberg use his backpacks to take adoptable dogs on outings. Reisberg agreed and approached Best Friends Animal Society about the idea. The video went viral, and Axl was quickly adopted. Reisberg then decided to continue the outings each week. The experience also affected Reisberg’s own plans. When he began the adoption rides, he had already paid a deposit with a corgi breeder for a future puppy. On about his fifth outing, he met Big Bertha, a large pit bull mix, and bonded with her during the ride. Reisberg ultimately called the breeder he had been in contact with for more than a year and cancelled his deposit. The outings generally involve Reisberg taking a shelter dog on the subway and spending several hours around New York City. He takes the dogs to places including Central Park, a pet store and a coffee shop, where they may receive a whipped-cream “pup cup. When people notice the dog in his backpack, he asks whether they would like to pet the animal. Reisberg then posts a video of the outing on social media with information on how viewers can adopt the dog through Best Friends Animal Society. The idea has also expanded beyond Reisberg’s individual outings. The national figures do not establish that backpack outings or similar social-media campaigns generally lead to faster adoptions. They do, however, provide context for the work of shelters and organisations trying to connect individual animals with potential adopters. For Missy, the connection happened almost immediately. She met Wruble at a Starbucks on Sept. What began as a brief encounter between a stranger and a shelter dog ended with Missy leaving the shelter for a new home as Misty. You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.