Pup Cruise
As we enter the dog days of summer, people are looking for more ways to spend time outside with their furry friends. Some take them to the park, others to the beach, but what about on a boat? WFUV’s Madison Colombo tells us about New York Cruise Line’s first ever pup cruise.
COLOMBO: “Outside of pier 83 in Manhattan, a plethora of people and their pups boarded the first ever Circle Line dog cruise. And for those without a pet, there were pens and pens of playful pooches waiting for their furever home. Phil Whitney is with the New York Cruise Line.”
WHITNEY: “So our pawsitively perfect pup cruise is kind of a fun experiment for us. We've never done a dog cruise before. We thought this would be a fun way of engaging New Yorkers and getting people to celebrate New York and have fun on a boat. So the idea was to bring in the Northshore Animal League as a partner to set up for mobile adoptions so people could come and look at dogs and hopefully adopt a few cuddly guys. And at the same time, pet owners could bring their dogs on a boat… ”
COLOMBO: “The event celebrates the history and culture of the harbor, while also raising money and awareness for animals in need. All of the ticket sales for the cruise went to the Northshore Animal League, a group dedicated to saving animals and raising adoption awareness. In 2021, over 4 thousand animals died in kill shelters across New York state and a bill currently sits on Governor Hochul’s desk to ban the sale of dogs, cats, and rabbits in pet stores. Whitney himself is a proud owner of a rescued pup, and says, there’s nothing better than saving an animal.”
WHITNEY: “My dog, is adopted from our local ASPCA. There’e no better feeling than doing an adoption and finding a new best friend.”
COLOMBO: “Circle Line partners with several other nonprofits as well, including the Hudson River Trust, and the Billion Oyster Project, as a way of giving back to the community, and making sure the city’s nature is preserved.”
WHITNEY: “We basically provide funds to a lot of maritime non-profit organizations in the New York metropolitan area. But this is really one of the bigger things we’ve done, and we hope it opens a whole new world for us.”
COLOMBO: “This event wasn’t just about our four legged friends either. The cruise is part of Circle Line’s campaign to get more New Yorkers on the water. Whitney says they'll keep coming up with fun, new ideas to get New Yorkers to experience the wonder and beauty of their skyline from the sea.”
WHITNEY: “So it's really just about getting people to come out and see the city from the water, and the dog thing is just a fun hook.”
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