Dogs have been humans’ best friends for centuries, but it has not been until recently that such a companionship has been so widely celebrated in public life. It is becoming more and more popular to take your dog everywhere with you (so many patios, so little time), and we are always excited to be a part of canine-friendly events all around Milwaukee!
Feasting for Fido is one such event, and is certainly one of Milwaukee’s most unique fundraisers. Hosted at the Wisconsin Humane Society, this tasty event brings together our four-legged friends and two-legged chefs from around Milwaukee for an evening of veggie-focused food and drink samplings. Proceeds from this event benefit the Wisconsin Humane Society, so that they can continue to provide care, protection, and shelter to wild and homeless animals.
The Wisconsin Humane Society was founded in Milwaukee in 1879 after Milwaukeeans were inspired by the creation of the first humane society in the United States, the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), founded in New York in 1866. The ASPCA was created in response to the cruelty of animals witnessed by New Yorker Henry Bergh in his travels around the country and the globe, and fortunately his ideas spread nationwide long before the ease of social media. Even Frederick Pabst was famously on board, known for treating his horses with the utmost respect and housing them in beautiful stables in Wauwatosa. Today, WHS is the largest humane society in Wisconsin and operates shelters in Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Brown, and Door Counties, as well as the Spay/Neuter Clinic in West Allis. The Milwaukee Campus is home to the largest Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in the state as well.
And fast-forward to the present, where we can now celebrate the Humane Society’s beautiful history with an evening of food and drink! With over 30 vendors, that is a lot of sampling! But we were up for the challenge. And a challenge it was, trying to choose our favorites treats among such a variety of deliciousness! We were once again honored to be guest judges for the event, along with Lindsey Slater, Mandy Scott, Marilynn Mee, Mark Kass, Molly Fay, and Tiffany Ogle.
We loved the sweet doggie-themed treats crafted by Le Reve Patisserie in Wauwatosa and the dog bone-shaped sesame ginger tofu canapés creatively presented by Café Lulu in Bay View. The green juice from Café Manna in Brookfield was the perfect way to cool off on a hot summer’s night! We thoroughly enjoyed the hearty veggie jambayala from Maxie’s Southern Comfort as well. What did our four-legged friends find tastiest? We think the dog-friendly donuts from Maxie’s had every pup in town sniffing for more!
Looking for a place to take your pup for a special day out on the town? Check out these paw-friendly establishments!
MobCraft Brewing
Black Husky Brewing
Camp Bar
The Roman Coin
The Tonic Tavern
Art*Bar
The Backyard
Balzac
DiModa Pizza (They not only welcome dogs, but they serve PUPperoni pizza on their patio!)
(We recommend always double-checking before bringing your furry friends just to be sure regulations haven’t changed. Cheers!)
A Note on Donations:
We are honored to be able to help out with this event and so many more, as we believe that donating to local non-profits is one of the greatest ways to strengthen our Milwaukee community. Milwaukee Food & City Tours is proud to donate to 500 local non-profits annually. If you work or volunteer for an area non-profit, we invite you to request a gift card to be used as an auction item or raffle prize. Please email info@milwaukeefoodtours.com with the request on letterhead. Be sure that the request includes the tax-identification number of the non-profit in addition to the mailing address for where the gift card should be sent. Please note that phone calls are not encouraged – your organization will receive a response in your mailbox from us within 14 days of receipt of request. Thank you!
