10/27/2026
Happy Tuesday!! ❤️
For years, a New York City man made subway passengers smile by carrying his beloved corgi in a backpack. But when Bryan Reisberg began taking shelter dogs on those same adventures, something much more meaningful happened. Dogs who had been waiting for families suddenly found themselves meeting strangers, making friends, and getting noticed by people who might never have visited an animal shelter.
Bryan's journey began with Maxine, the fluffy corgi he and his wife welcomed into their family in 2015. New York subway rules required dogs to travel in carriers, so Bryan started carrying Maxine in a backpack. Their rides became popular online, eventually attracting millions of followers. He later developed Little Chonk, a company making specially designed backpacks for dogs, but he never expected that the idea would become an adoption program.
In 2025, Maxine needed an extended period of rest because of health problems. A friend suggested that Bryan use the time and his enormous online audience to help dogs who were still looking for homes. He partnered with Best Friends Animal Society and began taking adoptable dogs out of their kennels for city adventures. Wearing backpacks marked Adopt Me, the dogs rode the subway, visited parks, explored pet stores, enjoyed treats, and met people throughout New York.
Bryan filmed each outing and shared videos introducing viewers to the dog's personality, favorite activities, and adoption information. The results quickly attracted attention. By December 2025, ten of the first eleven dogs featured had been adopted. The project continued expanding, and a June 2026 Forbes report credited the outings with helping 36 dogs find homes. By October, ABC7 New York reported that Bryan had completed more than 55 adoption rides, with the videos generating over half a billion views.
One particularly touching example happened in September 2026, when a shelter dog named Missy met 66-year-old Steve Wruble during a stop at Starbucks. Steve hadn't owned a dog in about 14 years, but after meeting her, he decided to adopt her. Just days later, Missy, renamed Misty, went home with him.
For Bryan, the backpack that once made his own dog famous has become something much bigger: a way to introduce shelter dogs to the people who might become their families.