Stray Paws Rescue
A foster-based rescue in St. Peters that pulls dogs and cats out of high-kill shelters and unsafe situations across the St. Louis area. More than 500 animals adopted in 2025.
The 50 Roses Foundation presents
Pup CrawlTricks for Treats
Sunday, October 25 Noon to 5pm Tower Grove Park
Free to attend. Yes, really.
Free giveaways all day
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St. Louis's free dog Halloween festival, with free giveaways all day. No ticket, no registration. You only need a Passport if you want to sample beer.
FreeNo ticket to attend
10St. Louis causes
75+Vendors and makers
Rain or shineOutdoor picnic, BYO food
Made possible by
The afternoon, roughly
Five hours of very good dogs
No schedule to memorize and nothing to sign up for. Wander in whenever, stay as long as the dog is happy.
Dog Costume Contest
The main event. Bandanas count, full witch regalia counts more. Bring your dog in costume and get in the ring.
Owner and Dog Look-Alike
The contest nobody enters on purpose and everybody wins at. Matching outfits strongly encouraged. Get look-alike ideas
Disc Dog Demos
Frisbee demonstrations with dogs and handlers who make it look easy. Worth sitting down for.
Photo Ops
Fall backdrops built for a dog and a phone camera. Free, no waiting on a paid photographer.
Food for Both of You
Hot dogs, hush puppy fries and chocolate bark for the humans. Treats for the dogs. Or pack your own picnic.
75+ Vendors
Makers, small businesses, dog gear, booths from all ten causes and the odd thing you did not know you needed. See who's coming
Live Entertainment
Music and goings-on through the afternoon, under the trees at Tower Grove Park.
Beer Garden and Bar
Ten beer samples with a Passport, or buy a drink at the regular bar. Twenty-one and up for anything poured.
Free Giveaways All Day
Goodies for the dogs from our sponsors and vendors, from noon until we run out. Details as they're confirmed.
Thirty seconds of very good dogs
Consider this your invitation
Witches, vampires, a lion or two. This is the energy we're expecting in Tower Grove Park. Watch it, then send it to the friend whose dog already owns a costume.
Start planning now
Dress the dog
The costume contest is the main event, and the best entries are planned weeks ahead. A bandana and a witch hat will do. A full vampire cape will do better. Here are four to get you started, and thirty-two more on the Pupspiration page.
Two contests, one afternoon
The dog costume contest and the owner and dog look-alike contest, both in the park on October 25. Start on the costume now.
Why we're all here
Ten organizations. One event.
Every one of these groups works in and around St. Louis. Buy a Beer Passport through a cause's button and half of your $35 goes straight to them. Not sure which one? Take the 20-second match below.
Needy Paws Rescue
A small St. Louis dog rescue that takes in dogs and puppies who need help, gets them healthy, and introduces them to new families at weekend adoption events.
The Feral Companion
Takes in feral, shy and special-needs dogs, spends however long it takes earning their trust, and helps them turn into confident family pets.
Gateway Pet Guardians
Runs a pet resource center in East St. Louis, with a low-cost vet clinic, food pantry and supply store, alongside adoption and foster programs that keep pets with their families.
The Cat Shelter
Formerly Animal House. Cares for hundreds of cats at a time, from bouncing kittens to unbothered seniors to cats who need medical help, until each finds a home.
Dogs For Our Brave
Pairs wounded veterans with trained service dogs, many of them rescues, at no cost to the veteran, then supports the pair for the life of the partnership.
St. Louis Senior Dog Project
An all-volunteer, foster-based rescue with a soft spot for grey muzzles. Covers vet care for dogs five and older and finds them somewhere comfortable to retire.
APA Adoption Center
A St. Louis institution. Matches cats and dogs with new families, and helps people keep the pets they already have through low-cost vet care and pet food assistance.
CARE STL
The city's open-door shelter. Takes in strays and surrendered pets nobody else will, gives them care, and works to get every one adopted, fostered or home again.
Carol House Quick Fix Pet Clinic
Affordable spay and neuter surgeries for dogs, cats and feral cats, more than 150,000 so far, so fewer animals end up in shelters in the first place.
Not sure who to back? Take the 20-second match.
Optional, but fun
The Beer Passport
Getting into the park costs nothing. If you want to sample your way around it, the Passport is your ticket: ten beer samples, and half your money goes to a cause you choose.
Prefer to just buy a beer at the bar? Do that instead. Nobody checks for a Passport at the gate, because there is no gate.
$35Beer Passport
- Ten beer samples from local pours
- Your stamped event Passport
- $17.50 goes to the cause you pick
- Transferable: hand it to a friend if plans change
Passports go on sale soon.
21+ with valid ID for beer sampling. Everything else at Pup Crawl is free and open to all ages.
Premiering at Pup Crawl
The Pawsport
A $35 coupon book for local St. Louis businesses, dressed as a passport with a paw on the cover. It debuts in the park on October 25 and goes on sale here shortly after.
Coming soon.
The practical bits
Know before you go
Do I need a ticket or to register?
No. Pup Crawl is free and open to the public, and there is nothing to register for. The only ticket is the $35 Beer Passport, and you only need it for beer sampling.
Can I bring my dog?
Please do. That is rather the point. Dogs should be leashed, current on vaccinations, and comfortable in a crowd with other dogs. Bring water and a bag or two.
Is it really family-friendly?
Yes. Kids, strollers, grandparents, blankets. The beer garden is a defined area with ID checks; the rest of the park is an ordinary autumn afternoon.
Do I have to enter the costume contest?
Not at all. Plenty of people come to watch. But if your dog owns a hat, this is the day. Need ideas? Browse Pupspiration.
Are there giveaways?
Yes, and they're free. Our sponsors and vendors are handing out goodies for the dogs all day. We'll post what's in the pile as it's confirmed.
Can I bring my own food?
Yes. It's an outdoor picnic event. There will be food vendors and a bar, but you're welcome to pack your own.
What if it rains?
Rain or shine. Dress for the weather, and so should the dog.
Where exactly in Tower Grove Park?
Location details, parking notes and a vendor map are on the way. Check back closer to the date.
How does picking a cause work?
Each cause on this page has its own Passport button that takes you straight to the right checkout. Half of your $35 goes to that cause. Every Passport supports one cause, so if you can't decide, the 20-second match in the causes section will point you to one.
Sell something?
Be one of the vendors
Booths are filling up. Makers, dog businesses, food, and anything a dog person would stop walking for.
Support the day
Become a sponsor
Thank you to Commerce Bank for sponsoring Pup Crawl. Sponsorship keeps this event free to attend and puts more of every Passport in the causes' hands. There is room for a few more partners.
Talk sponsorshipSunday, October 25. Noon to five.
Free to get in, with free giveaways all day. Bring the dog, wear the costume, stay for the frisbee. Then tell three people who love dogs.