As Washington's only formal evening for the “four-on-the-floor” crowd, the Bark Ball attracts some of the area’s most renowned canines and their friends. The guest list has included such luminaries as Art Buchwald, Chris Buckley, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Arch Campbell, Willard Scott and Loretta Swit. Washington’s political pet set--Socks Clinton, Millie Bush, Leader Dole, and most recently “First Canines” Spot and Barney Bush --have all served as Honorary PetChairs.

This extraordinary, high-profile event garners excellent coverage from print and broadcast media. The Bark Ball has been featured on the Discovery Channel’s “Animal Planet,” and is consistently covered by all major local television stations (Channels 4, 5, 7 and 9). In the past, stories appeared in the Washington Post, USA Today, on washingtonpost.com, in Woman’s Day, Marie Claire, and the Washingtonian magazines, and nationally in more than 30 major markets.

Past sponsors include Friedman, Billings, Ramsey Group; U.S. Airways; Sun Trust Bank; the Fannie Mae Foundation; America Online; Riggs National Bank; Ralston Purina; Pfizer; The Washington Post; Booz Allen & Hamilton; TWA; and Swissair.