Barks of Love
This week is National Pet Appreciation Week. To commemorate the occasion, Irvine’s TRADE Marketplace is teaming up with Barks of Love Animal Rescue for a celebration of dogs on Saturday, June 12, from 11 am - 4 pm. The Vine connected with Barks of Love founder and former Irvinite Ashley Cunningham to learn more about her organization and find out what TRADE’s Pet Appreciation day will entail.
When a Barks of Love volunteer showed up to an adoption event thinking that her foster dog was getting adopted, she was in for a heartwarming surprise. Video credit Barks of Love Animal Rescue
Barks of Love began as a dream of Cunningham’s in 2008 after she had fostered dogs for other organizations. Although a busy law school student at the time, Cunningham threw herself into the project. As an all volunteer, all breed dog rescue, she credits the community with keeping her mission alive.
“With community support and the outreach of people that wanted to get involved, we’ve saved over 3,000 dogs,” says Cunningham. “All of our dogs are in private foster homes throughout Orange County.”
Cunningham credits Barks of Love’s success with its model for dog fostering.
“I think we're so successful because instead of rescuing the dog first and then sticking them in foster homes, we actually find our fosters first and then look for the dogs that are appropriate for them,” explains Cunningham. “A good match. That's all we really focus on. Matchmaking.”
Cunningham’s event thus Saturday will raise funds for her organization. It will also allow attendees and their dogs to browse and interact with a selection of pop-up, pet-friendly vendors at TRADE, including: California Canine Apparel, The Salty Dog Photography Studio, PupLid, Lil Archies Eco Friendly Pet Products, and Tworgis. Some vendors are donating a percentage of the proceeds of their sales during the event to Barks of Love. These generous vendors include Puplid, California Canine, and Tworgis.
If you and your dog need a great picture together, now is the time. The Salty Dog Studio will host a kissing booth for canines and their companions to pose in front of. Salty Dog will offer all attendees a $100 credit to purchase digital photos but anyone can take pictures in front of the kissing booth with their own phones.
Virtual opportunity raffle tickets for gift baskets featuring gift cards to a selection of TRADE’s eateries and other vendors will be available for purchase at the event as well as online. All purchases will support Barks of Love.
TRADE Marketplace is located at 2222 Michelson Drive in Irvine.