Animal Friends really put on the dog (and cat and rabbit) Saturday with its annual Black Tie and Tails benefit. A sold-out crowd of 425 raised $409,000 to help find homes for pets and battle animal overpopulation. Befitting the theme "Quite a Crowd," there were dozens of adoptable pets both inside the South Side's Circuit Center and on its walls, in bold, graphic pieces by honorary artist Marc Tetro. The human crowd included gala chair Gina Carlos and honorary chairs Gail and Tom Buckner, who personally matched the $54,000 raised for spay/neuter surgeries.

Mackenzie Carpenter's video program, "Omnivore," is available exclusively at PG+, a members-only web site of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.