The Backpack Man

For the residents of New York City, this story will not be new, so my apologies to my readers in The Big Apple; however, I’m sure that you will be very happy to share this story with those who are unaware of Bryan’s contribution.

Bryan Reisburg is not a name that instantly springs to mind; however, this gentleman is bringing hope to shelter dogs in finding their forever homes. His self-imposed act of kindness is quite unique, and he is a familiar sight around New York City. He has even designed his own backpack, as the commercial ones that were available were not suitable for the purpose. In fairness to the designers of this form of luggage, they never could have anticipated that their products were going to be used for the transportation of dogs. Bryan has created his own version that retails under the brand “Little Chonk.”

How it began

This all started when Brian was commuting to work, and his backpack contained his corgi dog, Maxine. This small, fluffy canine was a shared wedding present as Bryan and his bride decided to have the dog that they both desired. In fairness, it’s not often that you see a commuter wearing a backpack containing a dog, and he noticed that this brought smiles to people’s faces. Brian eventually gave up his job to concentrate on designing the perfect backpack for transporting dogs, and he is a filmmaker and social media influencer. His Corgi dog is the inspiration for “Maxine Gets a Job”, a children’s picture book.

Around this time, he was encouraged by a friend to see if he could assist in finding homes for shelter dogs.

This led to his association with the Best Friends Animal Society.  Between them, they came up with the idea of Brian walking around with a shelter dog in his backpack with the label Adopt Me attached. Naturally, the Society is delighted with the publicity, and everyone has been adopted with only one failure, unfortunately, because of long-lasting health issues.

This rather unique way of advertising for homes is also hugely beneficial to the dog’s well-being. It means that the monotony of life in a shelter is disturbed for a few hours, but also the image of a canine in a carrier taking a trip around the city draws people to offer the privileged dog some fuss. Not only fuss, but apart from strokes, the chosen pet gets offers of food, drinks, ice creams, and just meeting people is not only good for the dog but brings happiness to the residents of the city. People queue up for the opportunity to pet the dog and to take photographs. I guess Bryan is one of the most photographed men in the city. Not content with just walking around the city, Bryan also takes the subway (underground), goes into shops where he is allowed and gives his backpack furry friend as much variety as possible.  Also, the views on his social media accounts run into the millions. So popular is this guy that on one occasion, the demand to offer a home to one of them was so great that the account had to be suspended. Another delightful consequence is that more people are volunteering to assist in the shelters, and as we all know, there are never enough to go around.

Bertha’s big adventure

One of his most recent successes was a rather large white dog named Bertha. It has to be said that Bertha was no lightweight, weighing in at an impressive 65 pounds (29.5 Kilos). It appears that this cuddly canine was delighted to give wet, slobbery kisses to anyone who came close; adoption was almost a formality. She was rapidly taken by a family from Long Island with a large garden. Of course, with publicity comes success, and the Best Friends Society has noticed a steady rise in general adoptions since Bryan’s walkabouts. Another idea being considered by Bryan is to supply shelters with his Little Chonk backpacks so that other volunteers in other states can replicate his days out, ensuring that more dogs are getting new homes. Also catching on is the idea of members of the public volunteering to spend an hour or so at the shelter playing with one of the dogs, thus giving and receiving quality time.

What better way to spend your lunch break!