The Humane Society of Berks County has a wide variety of great special events throughout the year. These events range from the strictly fun and educational to important fundraising events in support of the HSBC's animals.

Whether you join us for one of our regular 2nd-Friday-of-the-month Furry Friday Open Houses and Art Exhibitions; our one-hour, leave-your-checkbook-at-home, behind-the-scenes Welcome Waggin' Tours; the Walk for the Animals; Pints for Pups; or the Art for Arf's Sake Art Auction, you are sure to have a great time!

Click here to view all upcoming events.

Barkitecture Un-Doghouse Design Contest

Check out early entries by clicking here...

Entries are now being accepted for the first HSBC Barkitecture Un-Doghouse Design Contest. Contestants may enter in several categories, in amateur and professional divisions.  The contest is intended to draw attention to the tragic lives of dogs who are continuously chained in backyards and whose only homes are doghouses.  The Humane Society of Berks County was looking for a novel way to highlight the fact that a doghouse is not a home. This contest will show all the great alternate uses that can be found for a doghouse by creating Un-Doghouses—doghouses that can be used for anything but being a functional outdoor doghouse.

The Barkitecture Design Contest kicked off at the Southeast PA Home & Garden Show at the Greater Reading Expo Center with the very first entry, offered by Marco Folino of Folino Homes.  “Folino Homes is proud to be kicking off this amazing cause,” Said Folino. “We’ve designed our ‘Un-Doghouse’ so that a homeowner can keep it inside for their dog and still have it be an attractive décor piece at the same time. Plus, we wanted your dog to be living it up in style and sustainability!”

Un-Doghouses may be entered in the professional and amateur divisions in one of three categories: Alt-Functional, Artistic, and Donation Collection.  Donation Collection entries may be selected for use collecting donations of pet food and supplies for pets in need and will be stationed at retail and public locations throughout the region after the contest has concluded.  Since the HSBC is the ultimate pet recycling center, entrants are encouraged to use recycled materials.  Be creative, go wild!  Just don't make it look like that thing to the left!

Winners of the contest will be chosen by a Blue Ribbon judging panel featuring notable animal welfare and architecture professionals, as well as by public voting.  Entries may be made at any time until September 1, 2010, and internet voting starts July 17, 2010, so early entries get a jump on gathering votes!  Winners will receive bragging rights and fun prizes.  Winning designers will be announced at the HSBC Walk for the Animals & Walktoberfest on September 26, 2010.  Entries will also be on display at the 2010 Pints for Pups on July 17, 2010 so you can check out the entries first hand (or beer in hand!).

While the Barkitecture Un-Doghouse Design Contest is meant to be fun, it highlights a very serious problem facing many dogs in Berks County and around the nation.  Dogs which are exclusively chained outside and living in dog houses are far more likely to be victims of neglect and abuse, bite and suffer from behavioral problems, lead to neighbor disputes, and be much less likely to be adopted if they do end up at animal shelters.  Our culture of pet ownership has changed in recent decades and there is far less acceptance of “backyard dogs” than ever before and far more resources to help pet owners have healthy, happy, indoor dogs.  Proper training techniques, spaying and neutering, and regular vet care have all helped make dogs become well behaved members of the family, not something to be tied to a box in the back yard.

The HSBC will be combining the Barkitecture Contest with efforts to get a reasonable, common sense anti-tethering law passed this year. 

Show us your creativity and expertise!

Click here for a PDF (3MB) of the entry form and rules...

Thanks to Greth Homes for sponsoring the

Barkitecture Un-Doghouse Design Contest!

Check out some of the awesome entries already received:

Folino Homes Professional Collection Doghouse	Dale & Susanne Gresh Amateur Artistic
Penn State Berks Blue & White Society Amateur Collection Doghouse	David Weidenhammer Collection Doghouse