The 22nd Annual Bark Ball was held on Saturday June 6, 2009 at the Washington Hilton. Upon arrival guests were greeted with smiles and tail wags. The Bark Ball is Washington, DC’s premier Black Tie event for those with four paws on the floor. The Bark Ball is a benefit for the Washington Humane Society. Humane Society President and CEO, Lisa LaFontaine expects “the Humane Society to care for over 12,000 animals in their shelter this year and to respond to an additional 14,000 calls from community members experiencing some kind of distress.”

The Bark Bar was provided by Barkley Square Bakery and Boutique. The canine guests dined on treats like peanut butter buns, garlic knots and royal snaps. By the end of the reception not a crumb was left. Barkley Square owner Kristina Robertson said “It is an honor to be involved with such a great event that brings attention to animal awareness, especially this year which is the inaugural DC week for the animals.”

The evening overall was a success and both the two and four legged guests had an amazing time. The rooms were swirled in color from the beautiful gowns worn by the women and even some of the dogs. The K9 rock star, Scooby was in attendance wearing a formal tuxedo and top hat. He was a pupperazzi favorite as he sat and posed for the camera. His owner stated “Scooby loves to sit for the camera; he is even booked to make an appearance at the upcoming Dog Zone at the Alexandria Red Cross Waterfront Festival!” Also in attendance was Cocoa the Chihuahua, who was recently featured in the Virginia Tourism ads seen at numerous metro stations. Cocoa was wearing a couture green tuxedo made by Barkley Square. There were several diva dogs wearing everything from pearls to pick tutus and by the end of the night with full tummys and sleepy eyes they were where whisked home to dream about their magical night.

Paws for a Cause was held on Sunday at the Renaissance Hotel. The event benefited the Koret School of Veterinary Medicine at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Barkley Square and Karing by Kristina were on hand to provide a yummy Bark Bar full of treats for all of the four legged guests.

Attendees enjoyed a vendor row where companies like KBK and Barkley brought the latest and greatest in pet treats, clothes and accessories. There was a caricature artist on hand to capture the evening on paper and a doggie psychic to help everyone understand what the dogs were thinking.

ABC 7 News Anchor, Leon Harris served as Master of Ceremonies and the Dog Whisperer, Cesar Milan was the evening’s Keynote speaker.