Weekend Wander: The Amazing New York Dog-Friendly Scavenger Hunt

Last weekend, some friends and I got together to participate in The Amazing New York Dog-Friendly Scavenger Hunt, which was put on by Pogo Events. We met with about 50 fellow dog owners at Central Park's bandshell early Sunday afternoon, prepared for a fun (and competitive) afternoon with our pups!

Our team was comprised of myself & Holly, my friend Katie and her rescue pooch Henry, and my friend Matt, his girlfriend Lauren, and their new rescue Penny. Since we were a team of rescue pups, we named our team "Turn Down For Mutt," and the pooches donned matching camo bandanas so the other teams could see we meant business!

Holly and Henry are in it to win it!

The Pogo Events team divided any pups and humans without teams into groups, and then one member from each team was prompted to scan a QR code (we had been instructed via e-mail to download the app ScanQuest prior to our arrival), which unlocked all of the tasks that we needed to complete on our journey. The app was set up checklist style but you could elect to do the tasks in any order you liked. We decided to start with the images (saving a few of the trickier ones for in between other tasks), then the places, and do drawings and trivia questions in between as we walked. The handy thing about having Matt and Lauren there was Lauren could snap our photo since every pup owner and pup needed to be in every picture.

"Running" by the Carousal. Henry didn't commit to this...I think someone had a pretzel in his eye line!

The tasks were silly and some required a lot of improvisation on our part! We were instructed to take photos sniffing trash cans, waltzing in front of the Central Park Children's Zoo, jogging near the Carousal, and with a pretzel vendor, just to name a few. We had to get super creative with the task that required we all go down a slide--Central Park has a rule that prohibits adults from entering playgrounds unless they are accompanying a child, so we got creative on a slope of hill and just pretended to slide instead.

Having a great time on the slide. Penny is not amused. 

Surprisingly, one of the most difficult items to find was someone wearing something that said "Brooklyn." For all the people whose shirts we creepily read as we ran through the park, know it was for the greater good. And for this very kind French tourist, who didn't even KNOW his shirt said "Brooklyn," I hope we sent you back with a great story about wacky New Yorkers!

The Brooklyn shirt was a real find!

As the day wound down, we still had two locations left to find and a bonus point video to complete (contestants have the option of making a video for an additional 25 points, and participating in a "roadblock" activity, which we had successfully completed, for an additional 50). Since we were feeling pretty good about how much we had completed, we initially planned to visit one of the sites and create the video so we wouldn't be docked points for coming back late. However, our last two locations were super close to each other, so we were actually able to complete everything with time to spare for video making! I'm glad we made both stops, because those pictures are some of my favorite from the afternoon (despite our obvious exhaustion!).

Every pup and person (except Penny) is worn out from our adventure!

We were instructed to "jump" in front of this bridge...something Henry took VERY seriously!

For the video challenge, we had to make ONE dog sit, give paw, and play dead. Our only problem was our pooches were not well versed in the play dead category. Lauren came up with a genius improv where she had Matt hold Penny and gave HIM the instructions! The resulting video was hilarious (though he would probably kill me if I posted it on the internet, so I will refrain), and earned us the full 25 point bonus.

Despite completing all the tasks for the day, we came in second place. We were bummed, but still got to walk away with treats and toys for the pooches, as well as some great coupons and gifts from BarkBox, Bitch New York, and the Mayor's Alliance, among other sponsors.

The puppy prize pack--Holly was all about the treats, and the pink tennis ball!

For our second place win, we were also gifted with vouchers for a free Pogo Events scavenger hunt in the future, so you'd better bet team "Turn Down For Mutt" will be back next year with our eye on the prize!

Thanks to my awesome teammates--we'll clinch it next year!

What do you think about a dog scavenger hunt? Is it something you would try with your pup?

Until Next Time, Darlings!