Hugh Jackman, Julianne Hough hugs Pups to Promote Dog Adoption

Billy Crystal, Jane Lynch, and more attended Broadway Barks, co-hosted by Bernadette Peters and Sutton Foster, in New York City.

They say dogs are man’s best friend, but Bernadette Peters had a little help from her pals this weekend as the stars turned out to help her 24th annual Broadway Barks.

The dog adoption event was co-hosted by Music Man star Sutton Foster who posed alongside the likes of Hugh Jackson at the gathering in New York City.

The pair appeared delighted to meet and hold some of the dogs up for adoption, clearly smitten with the tiny fur balls.

Jackman, currently co-starring in The Music Man with Foster, cradled some lucky puppies in his arms and had a big grin. The X-Men actor, 53, has two dogs of his own at home.

Billy Crystal, who co-wrote Mr. Saturday Night, posed with his tongue out while holding a cute little puppy.

Peters co-founded the nonprofit with the late Mary Tyler Moore in 1999, during Peters’ Broadway run in Annie Get Your Gun.

She managed to attract the support of stage stars from across the productions; Jane Lynch, currently in Funny Girl, was also there to show her love for canine companions. Lynch has expressed her love for her rescue pets over the years, often speaking about the importance of adopting a pet over buying one.

Julianne Hough — whose Broadway debut came earlier this year in POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive — lost both of her beloved pet dogs in 2019.

The actress and singer were seen posing outside, where Peters ran into a spot of trouble the same day.

Video shared on social media appears to show animal rights protestors disrupting the event. In one clip posted on Twitter, Peters responds: “Excuse me! You are stopping all the animals here from having a chance to be adopted.”

“Is that not what you want?” Peters continued on the microphone before continuing with her speech. PEOPLE has reached out to Peters’ representatives for comment.