Make A Member Of The National Your New Best Friend (At A Badass BK Adoption Event Tomorrow)

Love Matt Berninger and Aaron Dessner of locally-based band The National? Now you can bring them home!

While doing some research on PetFinder last night, we stumbled across the brooding baritone and guitarist/keyboardist (photo above, copyright Hilary Benas) in four-legged form, via fabulous animal rescue organization (and genius marketers) Badass BK. Since 2011, the group comprised of volunteers and foster homes has saved over 1,100 dogs from high-kill shelters across the US, and they’ve come up with a quirky, admittedly effective way to set their pups apart.

Matt Berninger, copyright Candace Brown

“When Sara [Cross, who founded BBK] started rescuing dogs, she had this great idea to name them after celebrities to make them stand out and get them the attention they deserve,” the organization tells us. “Badass rescues dogs from pretty horrific conditions, where dogs have often actually been thrown out like trash and left to die in pounds with 97% kill rates.

“When we give them a famous new name, it’s also to recognize their value and symbolize our promise to give them new lives as treasured family members. We won’t use just any celebrity name, however. The human namesakes have to be Badass.

“In this case, the volunteer who named The National dogs is, like the band members, an Ohio transplant who calls Brooklyn home. She’s also a huge fan and has had these guys on her Badass list for a while. So when a relatively towering, head-tilting hound, a guitarist dog, and his twin came along  at the same time, we knew it was time to launch the Badass version of the band… Devendorfs still to come!”

Bryce Dessner, copyright Niki Anne Photography

Badassers are proud to say that Bryce Dessner (Dog-sner?) has already found his forever home, but Matt and Aaron will be at BBK’s adoption event tomorrow, March 22, from 12-2pm at NYC Pet on Driggs (475B Driggs Avenue between N 10th and N 11th Streets in Williamsburg). Aaron is described as an approximately 10-month-old Chihuahua mix who loves to play, while Georgia boy Matt is roughly five and is tall and thin (but putting on weight). Both love people and other dogs.

Besides any other neighbors who might just meet their perfect pet match in the fellas, we suspect one National member adopting another would be a great way to settle any inter-band power struggles (“I own you, Matt Berninger! Oh, you want this tennis ball?”).

If neither of these guys is for you, though, the Badass event may still be worth a stop over–Sissy Spacek, Barry White, Sean Connery, and several other A-listers will also be in attendance.

Check out Badass BK’s full list of adoptable dogs, and if you’re planning on heading over tomorrow, you can fill out an adoption application to get a head start.

This post is sponsored by Small World Pet Sitters–here for all your petsitting and dog-walking needs.