"Broadway Barks" Supports Pets for Adoption

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That's what happened to Leo, a four-year-old yellow Lab whose family moved out of state and surrendered him to a city shelter. Leo eventually found his way to the non-profit group Little Promises, which has been caring for him for the last year.

“We've had some people who have been very interested in him today,” said Queens-based Little Promises volunteer Ron Eiseman. “This event definitely helps give exposure to our group to a great extent and we really appreciate that they are doing this. It's not like we are a regular rescue group. We really need the extra support.”

Little Promises and the rest of the roster of rescue groups at Broadway Barks weren't the only ones appreciative of the organization and event's work. Jane Hoffman, President of the NYC Mayor's Alliance, a coalition of metropolitan rescue and shelter groups, read aloud a decree from Mayor Michael Bloomberg, praising the efforts to get pets out of shelters, and decrease the city's euthanasia rate.

This effort resonated across the city skyline on Saturday night, as the Mayor's office had the Empire State Building lit purple, pink and yellow, representing Broadway Bark's logo.

Progress in increasing adoptions in New York City and in decreasing euthanasia rates is noticeable and on a steady track, Peters told the packed crowd. In 2002, three out of four animals that came in to the city shelters were eventually put down; in 2010, it's projected that only 30 percent of shelter animals will be euthanized.

Calling this “terrific” news, Peters then recounted the aim to make New York City a kill-free area by 2015.

Events like these help to work toward that goal, Hoffman of the Mayor's Alliance told Zootoo Pet News, noting that aside from the funding it pulls in and the adoption it fosters, it also offers a creative, community-oriented approach to rallying behind shelter pets.

“It spreads the word to tourists, as well, who can see the theater community embracing rescue groups and shelters and hopefully it inspires them to go back into their communities and create a similar effort,” Hoffman said.

Barbara Bordelon, a tourist from Hammond, Louisiana, was one of the many packed into Schubert Alley, poised with a camera to capture images of the stars and pets alike.

“If I lived here, I'd be taking home three dogs today,” Bordelon said. “It's a great idea.”