It’s a great day to be a dog!

Those are the words we live by here at ZilkerBark.

ZilkerBark began in the spring of 2015. The project was founded by Alex Hopes, mostly by accident. Alex had been a Zilker Park regular with his dog Sid for many years, but it wasn’t until 2015 that 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 40,000 dogs photographed and more than $225,000 raised for animal related non-profits! Alex likes to point out that by now, ZilkerBark has likely photographed everyone’s friend’s dog!

Alex, Chief Treat Keeper

Alex, our CTK, is a colorblind dog lover who also happens to be a photographer. In the winter of 2012, Alex moved to Austin with his dog Sid. He had never visited Austin before, didn’t have a job lined up and didn’t know anyone in the city, but once he saw Zilker Park, he knew he had made the right decision. While Alex’s passion is to photograph dogs, he also satisfies his soul by discovering the best breakfast tacos in town and chasing down frisbees playing ultimate frisbee. He has three dogs, all rescues, who he loves to spend his down time with. If you ever have a photo session with him, you’ll know that he’s happiest when surrounded by his canine companions!

Marisa, Resident Toe Bean Booper

Marisa moved to Austin to study photojournalism and shoot for the school newspaper at UT, where she photographed a large variety of subjects and developed a love for storytelling. This led to her 10 year career in wedding photography and discovering that her favorite subject is flattering portraits of expressive faces (both human and dog). Marisa has always loved dogs, she spearheaded the campaign for the family dog growing up and now has an adorable and silly rescue pug named Curly Fry. Together they love to couch potato with a good show and enjoy sunset walks in nature. When she’s not hanging with Curly Fry or taking photos, she loves eating all the good food Austin has to offer and traveling.

Paige, Fetch Coordinator

Paige has been a working photographer for 6 years, and a dog lover for as long as she can remember. As a follower of ZilkerBark’s instagram since high school, she applied to join the team on a whim and became the Fetch Coordinator. 

Paige has her own pup, Snoobert (his real name is Sebastian, she’s still not sure how his name turned into Snoobert over the years). Snoobert is a blind corgi who brings so much happiness (and fur!) into her life. Paige can be spotted in South Austin (always with her film camera in hand), making pottery, thrifting, and hanging at local coffee shops in her free time.