When pals and fellow dog lovers Lyn Flannery and Brenda Bridges heard that 43 Houston-area pets displaced by Hurricane Harvey had been brought to PAWS Chicago to begin new lives, they decided to lend a hand.
On October 1 in Cunliff Park in Glenview, the pair put together a successful “Pets in the Park” fundraiser on short notice, offering complimentary pet photos to guests and raising hundreds of dollars to support the ongoing work of The Humane Society.
Flannery, a Wilmette resident, and Bridges, of Glenview, would often walk their dogs together and remark on their good fortune to live in pet- and family friendly communities. The two North Shore businesswomen had often talked about giving pet portraits to their friends and clients as gifts, but it wasn’t until they learned about local efforts to help rescue hundreds of Houston’s lost, abandoned and relinquished pets, that they sprang into action. Within a week, the pair had hired a photographer, found a location, and sent out postcards to let friends and neighbors know about “Pets in the Park.”
“We recognize that pets are family, too!” said the flier Flannery and Bridges printed to advertise the event. “And with the recent natural disasters, many pets have been ripped away from their families.”
Flannery, a broker with @properties and mother to three sons aged 21, 18 and 12, as well as a goldendoodle named Jett, reached out to local photographer and friend Susan Sorano of Forever Kids Photography. Sorano offered to take keepsake digital portraits of dogs and their owners during reserved time slots from 1-4 p.m. on the day of the event. After editing the photos for light and color, Sorano then emailed 3-5 photos to each recipient, free of charge.
Pat Mongoven takes a photo of Susan Sorano of Forever Kids Photography taking a photo of Cosby while the pooch’s human, Marty
Marty Zitlin, watches.
“Susan was really the perfect photographer for our fundraiser,” said Flannery. “Not only is she a total professional, she’s also a mom and a pet-owner.”
Not everyone believed Flannery and Bridges could orchestrate a successful fundraiser with this simple idea. When they asked another business owner to partner on the event, he declined, expressing skepticism that pet portraits would be enough to draw a crowd.
“He said that without a band or open bar, absolutely no-one would show up,” said Bridges, mother to three kids ranging in age from 20 to 16, as well as two furry children: Taco, a puggle, and Stella, a boxer. She’s also a financial advisor at Lakeshore Financial Group emphasizing in planning for women.
He was wrong. Even with just a week’s notice, 21 pet-owners came through Cunliff Park on October 1 to have their photos taken and make a donation. Flannery and Bridges even accepted donations to The Humane Society from several non-pet owners who happened to be in the park that afternoon.
“Knowing what a committed and cause-oriented community we live in, and believing that people would want to support the not-so-fortunate animals displaced by the hurricanes over the past few weeks, we bet that residents would come out in force,” said Flannery. “And they did!”
One dog arrived dressed as a skunk. Another came wearing Yoda ears. Impromptu doggie play dates naturally ensued.
“The dogs had a great time together while waiting for their photo session,” said Flannery. “And we really enjoyed meeting all the pet owners.”
Glenview resident Vic Levinson, who attended the event with his wife, Polly, and their three canine children, Aspen, Bruiser, and Pugi, expressed his support for the effort.
“It’s wonderful right now to have something like this that everyone can get behind in our community,” said Levinson. “It gives me hope.”
