Anti-Cruelty’s BARK, Chicago’s biggest and best dog party is back

CHICAGO (WLS) — Anti-Cruelty’s annual BARK event and fundraiser is on Saturday, May 31, 2025. Rain or shine (but it’s looking more like shine!), thousands of Chicagoans and their dogs will spend a fun morning at Lincoln Park Grove 2 raising funds for Anti-Cruelty, Chicagoland’s largest private animal shelter. This is the 31st year for BARK, making this the longest-running dog party in Chicago!

The paw-ty starts at 9:00 a.m. with an optional two-mile walk along Chicago’s scenic lakefront path starting and continues until 1:00 p.m. with activities including an agility course, dog-friendly demonstrations, carnival games, music, a storytelling booth where you can tell us how you met your best furry friend, and other family fun activities. A variety of food and beverages will be offered to attendees (four-legged friends included). Attendees are encouraged to get social and share their best BARK pup pics using #BARK2025.

You can register at anticruelty.org/bark to get started. General admission tickets are $50, and dogs are always free! All proceeds from the event go towards supporting Anti-Cruelty’s work toward helping pets and people thrive together. Day-of registration is also available on-site.

Dogs attending the event with their owners are required to have updated vaccinations. Dogs must be on a static leash; retractable leashes are unsafe and not allowed at the event.

This year’s Grand sponsor is VCA. Other sponsors include: Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Dr. Sheldon and Paulette Rubin, Sandy and Jerry Manne, MetLife Pet Insurance, Tucker Pup’s Pet Resort, West Loop Veterinary Care, Veterinary Emergency Group, Partners Animal Hospital West Loop, Elanco, and Columbia Threadneedle. ABC7 is the media sponsor.

About Anti-Cruelty
Founded in 1899, Anti-Cruelty is Chicago’s oldest and largest, private, Open Door animal welfare organization. For over 125 years, Anti-Cruelty has worked at the intersection of animal welfare and social well-being to provide the BEST Care for Animals, People, and in Communities. With a mission of building a healthy and happy community where pets and people thrive together, our programs offer a multi-faceted approach to strengthening the Human-Animal bond by increasing access to adoptions, veterinary care, community outreach services, humane education, and more, serving 20,000 pets and people annually.