ZilkerBark began in the spring of 2015. The project was founded by Alex Hopes, mostly on accident. Alex had been a Zilker Park regular with his dog Sid for many years, but it wasn’t until 2015 the he started to use his camera at the park. After snapping dog after dog and sharing the photos on Instagram, Austinites began to take notice. Suddenly, ZilkerBark became a voice for the dog community of Austin and a beacon of positivity for those who followed the account.
To date, this small project has turned into more than 30,000 dogs photographed and more than $175,000 raised for animal related non-profits! Alex likes to point out that by now, ZilkerBark has likely photographed everyone’s friend’s dog!