Large Crowd Attends a Spooky Barks & Brews

Sunday, October 6 brought perfect fall weather to the 9th annual Barks & Brews event at Fort Hill Brewery in Easthampton.

Nearly 400 guests joined us at this dog-centric gathering that included a VIP hour from 12pm – 1pm, then general admission from 1pm – 4pm. As in the past, we presented the hot dog eating contest (for our canine guests), but added a new feature this year; a Halloween costume contest for dogs.

Event attendees, many of them accompanied by their dogs, enjoyed Fort Hill’s craft beers, and delicacies from the food trucks. Vendors offered items including canine baked goods, dog grooming, pet accessories, and pet behavior consultations. Guest emcee Chris Kellogg of 94.7fm WMAS played some great, upbeat tunes and announced the contest winners.

Thanks to everyone who came to Barks & Brews 2024. Because you care about animals, and wanted to celebrate the wonderful bond between people and pets at our event, we were able to raise over $40,000 to support Dakin’s animals, programs and services. We had a lot of fun, and hope you did, too!

We’d like to thank Fort Hill Brewery for their wonderful hospitality once again, and we also appreciate the support of our sponsors:

Leader of the Mutts:  Treeworks

Brewmasters:  Gage-Wiley, VCA Animal Hospitals

Top Dogs:  Curran & Keegan Financial, Curry Honda Chicopee, Finck & Perras Insurance, HD Air, Northeast Solar, Ramon Financial Services, ROVI Homes, Smithland Pet Centers, UMASS Five

Party Pups:  All Energy Solar, Bank ESB, Greenfield Savings Bank, Idexx, Integrity Development & Construction, Inc., Marcotte Ford

Media Sponsors:  94.7fm WMAS, The Republican, 22News & The CW

We salute all the Dakin volunteers who worked very hard to make Barks & Brews a big hit!

Visit our photo gallery to see pics from Barks & Brews 2024!