Cheyenne Jackson: Adopting a Rescue Dog “Changed My Life”

“For the last five years I’ve been telling everyone I meet this. Adopting a rescue dog has changed my life. They bring you so much happiness,” Cheyenne Jackson, the singer and frequent “30 Rock” guest star, told the crowd at the 12th-annual Broadway Barks event.

“This is Jack. Look how adorable he is," he said, bringing a rescue beagle on stage. "It says that he loves to snuggle and sit in your lap. That’s funny, so do I!”

Broadway Barks, an event that finds suitable homes for rescue dogs and cats, is the brainchild of TV icon Mary Tyler Moore and co-founder Bernadette Peters.

The philanthropic pair started the charity twelve years ago to help raise awareness and funds for struggling New York shelters. Since then it has spiraled into a star-studded happening that continues to help the rescue community. This year, some of Broadway’s finest talent including Tony Shalhoub, Brooke Adams, Sean Hayes, Corbin Bleu, Cheyenne Jackson, Richard Thomas and Hunter Ryan Herdlicka were in attendence.

This year, Peters and Moore showed off a slew of adorable critters to a mass of prospective adopters at Shubert Alley of Times Square in the heart of the Theater District.

“Just see how many perfect pets there are available,” Peters announced to the crowd of several thousand. “You want a Jack Russell? We got them. You want a Great Dane? We got them.”

Jackson was not the only member of the theater community to take the stage, each of the celebs in attendance took their turn introducing the pooches.

Lend Me A Tenor’s Tony Shalhoub, best known for his TV role on “Monk,” showed no signs of his germ phobic character, letting a boxer give him a friendly lick on the face when he stepped on stage.

“This is Fonzi. He’s a real beauty and he truly deserves a caring home," he said.

Mamma Mia’s Judy McLane used music from her hit show to entertain and entice the crowd. “This is Chocolate, he loves being put into spandex to perform for you,” she said while coordinating Chocolate to sing and dance to the tune of ABBA’s “Dancing Queen” lyrics.

Peters personally thanked every star for their time and stayed on stage the entire three hours providing segues between the talent coming on stage, sometimes in the form of a song. Sometimes in the form a little dance number.

The event usually results in the adoption of 200 dogs and cats. To learn more about Broadway Barks and to see photos, visit their website: www.BroadwayBarks.com

Contact Us