Are you looking for a unique way to get an autograph from Clay Aiken?  Did you miss out bidding on Sir Robin the “Broadway Bears” auction a few months ago?  Well, we might have just the answer for you.  You have until July 11, 2009 to make a bid on “Monty”, the hound from Spamalot. Clay Aiken signed the dog along with the entire cast of  Spamalot before the show ended on January 11, 2009.  And the best part, all the money goes to a wonderful charity called “Broadway Barks.”

Broadway Barks is an annual animal charity event held in New York City to promote the adoption of shelter animals. The event was founded in 1999 by Bernadette Peters and her friend Mary Tyler Moore,  along with many other people who wanted to do something for animals.

The event has been held every July since 1999 in Shubert Alley, a place that is well-known to many Clay fans. The first adopt-a-thon was held on July 24, 1999, and benefited five animal welfare shelters and groups:

This year, Broadway Barks will help many of New York City’s shelter animals find permanent homes.  It will also help inform the residents of New York about the plight of the thousands of homeless dogs and cats in the city.  The event will be held on July 11^th at 3:30 p.m. and will again be held in Shubert Alley.

Last year, the event attracted an audience of more than 7,000 theater fans, pet owners and animal lovers.  Twenty-six animal shelters from the New York City area participated in the program along with many Broadway stars.  The shelters will bring some of their pets to the event and hopefully, many will be adopted that afternoon.

There are a few celebrity presenters that were a part of the Spamalot family who will be participating in the program this year, including Christopher Sieber and David Hyde Pierce.

Each year, at the event, one-of-a-kind Hounds of Broadway that are signed by the casts of some of the most popular Broadway shows are auctioned off to raise money for Broadway Barks.  This year, 20 hounds will be auctioned off, including the one from Spamalot with Clay’s autograph.  The bids will start at $150.00.

If you would like more information on the bidding process, visit Autograph Hounds . For more information on Broadway Barks, please visit them at Broadway Barks.  And, if you are successful in your bidding, I hope you will share the experience with all of us.