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A shelter dog named Missy found a home after a chance encounter in a Starbucks line in New York City, according to The Washington Post. Steve Wruble stepped into the line one recent morning and noticed a dog riding in a backpack on a man’s shoulders. Wruble locked eyes with her and petted her head, and she licked his face. He ended up adopting her almost on the spot.
Missy was out that day because of Bryan Reisberg, a New York content creator who takes a shelter dog on an outing in a backpack once a week. Reisberg took Missy out of a New York shelter on September 15, 2026. He invented the backpack for his own corgi, Maxine, and his outings typically include a subway ride, a stop at a park, a new toy, and a whipped cream “pup cup,” with strangers stopping to meet the dog along the way. He films each adventure and posts it online with details on how to adopt.
Wruble said he “literally gave my heart away to this dog so quickly.”
Reisberg’s approach has drawn attention across the pet adoption world. Forbes reported in June 2026 that he had helped 34 dogs from the Best Friends Animal Society’s New York adoption center and its shelter partners get adopted. Best Friends staff have said outings like these help shelter dogs get socialized and give them a break from the kennel, which can help them get adopted faster.
My thoughts: The interesting thing about this story is how little had to go right for it to work. There was no adoption event or planned meet and greet, just a dog out of her kennel for the day, a person who happened to look up at the right moment, and a lick on the face. That’s the whole idea behind what Reisberg does: a dog behind a kennel door can be easy to overlook, but a dog looking over someone’s shoulder in a coffee line is hard to ignore. It’s also a good reminder that many shelter dogs need exposure more than anything else.
Source: The Washington Post, with additional reporting from Forbes and Best Friends Animal Society
