Broadway Barks 16, held Saturday, July 12, featured adoptable — and adorable — dogs and cats from New York City animal shelters and adoption agencies including ASPCA, Animal Care and Control of NYC (AC&C), Animal Haven, BARC (Brooklyn Animal Resource Coalition), Bideawee, Bobbi & the Strays, City Critters, Humane Society of New York (HSNY), KittyKind, Posh Pets Rescue, SaveKitty Foundation and Urban Cat League.
I asked Broadway Barks co-founder Bernadette Peters what is the biggest misconception about shelter dogs and she said, “People think they’re in the shelter because they’re not good dogs, and that’s just not the case. Unfortunately, during these times, people lose their jobs, have to move in with family members, can’t take their dogs and then you have a 5-year-old family member in the shelter — depressed, sad and you see the difference when that dog gets adopted. You see it on their face how happy they are. Because shelter dogs know they’ve been rescued, they will bond with you forever.”
Mary Tyler Moore, co-founder of Broadway Barks, could not attend this year, so James Franco stepped up as co-host. Here he is hugging an adoptable kitty named Totes Magotes. In case you don’t know, “totes magotes” comes from a scene in the movie, “I Love You, Man,” when Paul Rudd used it as slang for “totally.” Franco said he decided to help out at Broadway Barks because, “I’ve loved the Broadway community, so I’m just trying to help out wherever I can.” When asked if he had pets Franco said, “I have two cats. That’s why I’m holding a cat.”
