Pets, Pets, Pets
by Joanne Anderson
"Broadway Barks" is a brilliant rescue idea now in its tenth year. To paraphrase George M. Cohan: "Give my regards to Broadway; remember placing scores of pets..." Saturday July 12th the stars of the Great White Way, led by Bernadette Peters and Mary Tyler Moore, will gather again in Shubert Alley (between W. 44-45th St.) to showcase homeless pets from 25 NYC shelters and organizations. Originally Ms. Peters conceived the "Broadway Barks" adopt-a-thon as a way to promote the shelters' hidden, homeless pets, but the annual celebration has blossomed into a major Mayors Alliance for NYC Animals, Inc. event that fosters community and cooperation between the city, municipal shelters, and non-profit humane groups. As the audiences exit the matinees, a special stage is set up outdoors so the stars can introduce the huge crowd to the abandoned animal representatives from various humane societies. Around 5:00 more celebrities arrive and the entertainment begins. Those interested in adopting, can fill out applications, but further screening and reference checking are required. No pet leaves straight from the event.
 | | Above, Mary Tyler Moore, Angela Lansbury, and Bernadette Peters at the '07 event.. Inset, autographed "Broadway Barks" Mer-Dog. |
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This year kicks off with an earlier special attraction. Bernadette Peters has written a children's book called Broadway Barks (Blue Apple Books; $17.95), featuring her own pound pooch, Kramer (a Briard mix) and a doggy lullaby CD. At 12:30 she'll be autographing copies of her book at the Broadhurst Theatre on W. 44th. All proceeds will go to "Broadway Barks" animal agencies. Last year, even before the new book, "Broadway Barks" sponsors like the ASPCA and Pedigree, ads in PLAYBILL and auction sales resulted in over $100, 000 to aid shelter animals.
A volunteer from Babylon (who wants to remain anonymous) is an integral part of "Broadway Barks'" financial success. Several years ago he came up with the brainstorm to auction
off stuffed dogs autographed by the casts of each Broadway show. The soft toys are filled with light powder beads, and covered with nylon, perfect for signing with a Sharpie pen. This year alone my creative friend Tom made more than a dozen trips to Manhattan to circulate the toy dogs needing signatures back stage at 22 different Broadway theaters. Then he brought the signed pups home to photograph and make exquisite posters listing the casts for the silent auction in Shubert Alley. Some dogs are dressed for the occasion. The "South Pacific" pooch is sporting a pink lei; the "Phantom" dog a mask; and the "Little Mermaid" Mer-Dog (shown here) has an aquatic fin costume.
 | | Poster Pets of the Week |
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Tom, the man behind the scenes, the stars show off the pets. Thousands of people show up, so "tell all the gang at Forty-Second Street, that you will soon be there…." Speaking of the Mayors Alliance, mark your calendar- This wonderful NYC initiative will be bringing their rescue magic to Long Island. I am thrilled to announce the Mayors Alliance will be hosting a "low cost microchipping clinic" in conjunction
with "Last Hope's Dog Walk" at Wantagh Park on Sat. Sept.13. All dog and cat owners can have their pets implanted with a HOMEAGAIN chip for only $25 each, registration included. This price represents savings up to $80 per chip. Microchips help so many lost pets find their way home. More details soon. Speaking of creative fundraising ideas- "Dress Down Days" generated a generous donation for Last Hope Animal Rescue. On occasion the kind employees at Data Device Corp. (DDC) in Bohemia "pay" for the privilege of wearing jeans to work. Two recent "Dress Down Days" resulted in a windfall of several thousand dollars to Last Hope. Special thanks to Dave Shekailo, inspired by his Last Hope cat "Pete", for putting our local homeless waifs on DDC's wonderful charity calendar. For Adoption: The Babylon Town Shelter pets (643-9270) Lamar St. W. Babylon would love to have their plight lit up on a Broadway marquee. "Sweet Pea" in Cage 37 is a delightful, small Pit pup, while "Jefferson" in Cage 19 is a super sweet Shepherd/Shiba Inu. Both poster dogs are about 1 year, full grown, size medium. Female: "Jasmine" - Rottie mix Cage 32; "Riley"- Foxhound/Saluki Cage 27. Male: "Scooby"- chubby Pit Cage 4; "Willpower"-longhaired Shepherd Cage 3; "Panda"-Border Collie mix Cage 7. Cats: "Mousy"-Mr. Condo in C-9; a beseeching Russian Blue type in C-8; kittens galore.
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