A touching way to help pets: Therapy that feels good & helps heal - by Amy Sacks, New York Daily News - Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals, Inc. - Working with the City of New York to promote dog and cat adoption and spay and neuter programs to make New York a no-kill city.

Home > The Alliance in the News > 2007 Alliance News Items > Dogs, cats and a pack of stars take Broadway bow

Dogs, cats and a pack of stars take Broadway bow

Saturday, July 14, 2007

On most days the Great White Way roars like a lion, but one day a year Broadway barks.

This afternoon, veteran Broadway stars and animal activists Bernadette Peters and Mary Tyler Moore host the eighth annual Broadway Barks, a dog and cat adopt-a-thon in Shubert Alley, where a cast of celebrities will share the stage with gaggles of adoptable animals.

"Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" star Lucie Arnaz, Broadway veteran Bebe Neuwirth and singer Nellie McKay of "The Threepenny Opera" will be among the star-studded lineup to present the animals and tout the benefits of shelter adoption.

"It is rewarding to know that we are saving animals' lives and fostering a spirit of community among animal shelters and rescue groups throughout the city," said Peters, who adopted her dogs, Stella, a pit bull mix, and mutt Kramer, from the Animal Care & Control shelter and ASPCA.

Peters recently made a match in heaven when she introduced "On the Town" co-star and Broadway Tony award-winning actress Phyllis Newman to her puppy GeorgiGirl.

"It was love at first sight," Newman said of the furry champagne-colored bundle with dark black eyes, one of 19 poodles rescued by the ASPCA last summer from a Brooklyn hoarder.

Today, GeorgiGirl is living the high life, moving from the pound to a duplex penthouse in a swank Central Park West apartment building, where the pup spends most of her days looking down on the park from the terrace.

Newman, who has been living alone since her husband, composer/lyricist Adolph Green, died four years ago, says the rescued pooch provides great comfort and companionship. "It's wonderful to have a young, vibrant living being in the house to take care of - and take care of you," said Newman, who has always had a rescued dog in her life.

So, is the bundle of energy an inspiration for her work? "No, but she's a great distraction," Newman says and encourages all New Yorkers to go out and adopt a dog.

Among the dozens of cats and dogs that will take center stage today include four beautiful shepherd-mix puppies, Joanna, Georgette, Paul and Ringo, and Jackie-O, a golden retriever/Great Pyrenees mix from the ASPCA.

Mocha, a gorgeous border collie mix who has been in the shelter for too long and is desperate for a new home, will also be up for adoption through Animal Haven. And, making their debut for the event will be Rosario Dawson and Rosie Perez, two mutts recently rescued by Stray from the Heart from the streets of Ecuador.

Some of the adorable animals making a curtain call today from Animal Care & Control shelters will be Bobo, a shy but warm 1-year-old male beagle/terrier mix, found as a stray in Brooklyn, and sweet, fluffy Buster, a 2-year-old Lhasa apso mix, given up because his owners moved.

Cats don't bark but dozens will be auditioning today for a new home. Cats and kittens are especially in need of adoption this time of year, and foster caretakers are also needed to care for kittens too young to be adopted. The Daily News pointed out the plight of these animals in stories that ran all this week.

The number of unwanted animals euthanized at city shelters has dropped dramatically in recent years, thanks in part to groups like the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals, which provides grants to smaller rescue groups. Still, thousands of animals continue to flood the city's shelters, and unless they are adopted they will be euthanized, simply because there is no room at the shelters.

Broadway Barks 8! will take place today from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Shubert Alley, between Broadway & Eighth Ave. at 44th and 45th Sts. (If it rains, the event will be held July 21. For details, visit broadwaybarks.com.)