It’s no secret that celebs love their pets. (Admit it, you cried during that Sarah McLachlan ad.) We’ve got a soft spot for animals too, so it should be no surprise that Shecky’s made the scene at The North Shore Animal League America’s Third Annual DogCatemy Celebrity Gala last Thursday night at Capitale. Move over, Howard Stern—we just want to pet your dog!

Left: Maria Menounos; Top Right: Beth & Howard Stern; and Bottom Right: Mya

Among the notable celebs who attended: Master of Ceremonies: Maria Menounos, Beth & Howard Stern, and Grammy Award-winning Songstress Mya. The annual event raised much-needed funds and support for the North Shore Animal League, the world’s largest no-kill animal rescue and adoption center.

By now you know of President-Elect Obama’s promise to his daughters to get them a puppy if (when!) he won the election. “Today” Show correspondent Maria Menounos excited the dinner crowd on Thursday

Shecky's CEO Chris Hoffman and Chloe

when she announced she’s “in talks” with Obama to encourage him to buck White House tradition and get a mixed-breed rescue pup for his two daughters. Sure enough, the next day Obama announced that he was considering just such a move. This would inspire shelter adoptions across the country and put a big dent in the 800,000 dogs and cats that are currently euthanized every year in America.

“The goal is to put puppy mills and irresponsible breeders out of business,” said NSAL President J. Johns Stevenson. “When you see a cute puppy in a pet store window, you don’t see all the ugliness of the puppy mill machine that these shops perpetuate.”

And it’s true: One of our Shecky’s coworkers was adopted from the North Shore Animal League—Chloe, a.k.a. “The Orange Wolf.” No, she’s not a scary person in accounts payable, but our office mascot dog, part Belgian Shepherd, English Setter, and Japanese Akita—or as Shecky’s CEO Chris Hoffman puts it, “a real citizen of the world.”

Why did he adopt a dog from the North Shore Animal League? “Mixed breeds are typically healthier and more intelligent than pure breeds that are often inbred in inhumane conditions. I know I’m saving a life when I adopt a rescue animal. The feeling you get [from adopting a rescue dog] makes your heart feel full every day.” Plus, he considers his mutt Chloe far more “exotic and glamorous” than a purebred.

What pet could make a better diplomat in the White House than a “mutt-i-gree” with such a multi-faceted heritage? Write your Congressmen, people!

Want to meet the love of your life? Check out the North Shore Animal League’s online adoption site.