Puppy love hits New York City July 13 when Broadway Barks 4! returns to Shubert Alley. The fourth annual event to find homes for pets from animal shelters around the city begins in the famed alley at 3:30 PM.

Bernadette Peters will host BB4! with emcees Andrea Martin and Buck Henry. Mary Tyler Moore, who was scheduled to appear with friend Peters, has withdrawn due to a filming commitment in Los Angeles. However, a litany of other Broadway stars will be on hand including Gary Beach, Len Cariou, Howard McGillin, Gavin Creel, John Cullum, John McMartin, Stephen DeRosa, Kerry O'Malley, Elizabeth Franz, Nancy Opel, Peter Gallagher, Brad Oscar, Julie Haggerty, Rhea Perlman, George Hamilton, Harriet Harris, Louise Pitre, Bill Pullman, Neil Patrick Harris, Marilu Henner, Steven Tobolowsky, Spencer Kayden, Shuler Hensley, Richard Kind, Vanessa Williams, Marc Kudisch and Patrick Wilson.

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Actress and pet lover Mary Tyler Moore recently commented, "We have a real chance to make a difference. We can turn the enthusiasm around pet adoption that we've been able to generate through Broadway Barks, into a movement to save the lives of the 40,000 potential 'best friends' needlessly put to death every year here in New York. Through our individual acts of kindness and our joined voices in this important cause, we can make New York a 'no kill' city, and by doing so, make it a better place, a kinder place for us all."

Peters, who will return to Broadway this season in a new production of the classic musical Gypsy, adopted both her dogs, Kramer and Stella, from the ASPCA and CACC. The two-time Tony winner explains, "When you consider that over a seven-year period, one female dog and her offspring can produce as many as 76,000 offspring, spaying and neutering becomes a top priority in reducing the 40,000 unwanted dogs and cats that are euthanized each year in New York City alone." Among the shelters who will contribute pets to Broadway Barks 4! include A Cause for Paws, Animal Haven, ASPCA, BARC Shelter, Bide-A-Wee, Bobbi and the Strays, CACC, City Critters, The Humane Society of New York, Kitty Kind, Long Island Greyhound Rescue, Loving Touch, Manhattan Valley Cat Rescue, Northeastern Boxer, New York Pet-I-Care, PLUTO Rescue, SICAW, Strays from the Heart and The Tigger Foundation. Proceeds from the auction and other donations received on July 13 will benefit the various shelters and organizations.

For more information about Broadway Barks 4!, call (212) 840 0770, ext. 477, or visit www.officialbroadwaybarks.org. Shubert Alley is located between 44th and 45th Streets (and between Broadway and Eighth Avenue) in New York City.

—By Andrew Gans