It was getting crowded up on the second floor of Borders Books Friday morning. Patrons stood in line, arms loaded with books, waiting for television personality and best-selling author Rachael Ray to arrive.

She was on her way, but first Ray had to make a very important stop -- at a pet adoption event on the Sherman Green. The bubbly animal lover crouched down to say hello to the dogs looking for homes. One looked a lot like her own dog, a pit bull named Izzy. "She could be your girlfriend," Ray said.

Two brown and white puppies, the only siblings left from a litter of 12 born to a stray found wandering in the Bronx, Ray said, "Today's the lucky day."

Then, Ray really got down to business -- presenting a check for $7,500 to Adopt-A-Dog, a rescue shelter in Greenwich and Armonk, N.Y., that was holding the adoption event.

"I'm just overwhelmed," said Allyson Halm, president of the shelter group. "I was not expecting that."

She said they struggle to raise the money they need during the year, and the donation would go directly to operating expenses. "We have several senior dogs that need dental work," Halm said.

Ray joined with Ainsworth Pet Nutrition to develop a line of premium dog food, Rachael Ray Nutrish, and a line of dog treats called Just 6. All proceeds from the sales go to organizations that help at-risk animals.

"I have a pit bull and I guess it just started with that," Ray said, as she walked over to the book signing for her latest cookbook, "Look + Cook" -- described as a "paint by numbers" guide to cooking. "There were so many pit bulls that were abused, and the shelters were full."

Now, with the help of Best Friends Animal Society, Ray has been visiting pet adoption events and has donated more than $750,000 to various groups. "That's pretty good," she said, and brings the total of charitable contributions since the line was launched in 2008 to $1.4 million. "I think this happened at a great time."

The only way she would do it, Ray said, was if 100 percent of the proceeds went to charity. It's similar to Yum-O, a nonprofit organization launched in 2006 that teaches families to cook, feeds hungry children and funds cooking and education scholarships through the sale of Rachael Ray cookware marked with the Yum-O logo.

And of course, the pet food had to be tasty. "Everyone at the plant has tried the kibble," she said, "even me."