Broadway Barks is an annual animal charity event held in New York City to promote the adoption of shelter animals. Founded by Bernadette Peters and Mary Tyler Moore, the event has been held every July in Shubert Alley, starting in 1999. Performers, many from Broadway shows, present adoptable cats and dogs, with the participation of many animal groups from the New York City area.
The event was founded in 1999 by Bernadette Peters with Mary Tyler Moore and others, who wanted to do "something for the animals" after a successful fund–raising campaign for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Performers, many appearing in Broadway shows, and other celebrities present cats and dogs from New York City and vicinity animal shelters for adoption.
Peters received a special Tony Award in 2012, the Isabelle Stevenson Award for her work with Broadway Barks. On August 21, 2012, Peters and Moore received a dedicated "Ride of Fame" bus on Gray Line New York. This honor "recognizes and honors leading New Yorkers and iconic New York establishments, whom they [Gray Line] identify as 'exemplary community figures and entities by bestowing a bus in their fleet to each dedicatee.' " The bus has a "custom decal" with Moore and Peters' likenesses as well as a Broadway Barks logo.
The event has been held every July since 1999 in Shubert Alley, in the Broadway Theater District. The first adopt–a–thon was held on July 24, 1999, and benefitted five animal welfare shelters and groups: the ASPCA, Center for Animal Care & Control (CACC), Bide-a-Wee, Humane Society and North Shore Animal League. Performers including Tom Wopat, Joel Grey, Andrea McArdle, and Edie Falco participated. During the July 2007 event, more than 100 pets were adopted, and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg issued a proclamation making July 14, 2007 "Broadway Barks Day" in New York City.