The Picasso Veterinary Fund was created in 2003 by Broadway Barks founders Bernadette Peters and Mary Tyler Moore and administered by the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals. The fund provided financial assistance to pay for extraordinary lifesaving medical treatment for animals from Animal Care Centers of NYC (ACC) and transferred to other Alliance Participating Organizations for adoption.

It all started in the winter of 2000, when an eight-month-old abandoned Pit Bull puppy, born with a twisted muzzle, was picked up by AC&C and brought to its Manhattan shelter. AC&C staff immediately knew they had to save this amazing animal, so they put the word out to the NYC rescue community. When Ms. Peters saw a photograph of the puppy with the cubist face, she named him Picasso. Picasso was taken in by BARC Shelter in Brooklyn, and soon found a permanent home with the family of a BARC volunteer who gave Picasso a second chance for a happy life.

Sadly, in 2003, a few months before his fourth birthday, Picasso was diagnosed with chronic kidney failure. Despite his illness, his lively spirit and sense of humor endured. His family gave Picasso the best possible care throughout his remaining three months.

In honor of this amazing dog, Ms. Peters and Ms. Moore created the Picasso Veterinary Fund to ensure that other special Little New Yorkers would receive second chances for the good lives they deserved. Over the years, hundreds of dogs and cats received lifesaving treatment paid for by the fund.