Nicole Miller and Robin Cofer. (Rob Rich)

New York City - In a downtown nightclub, a group of tattooed, motorcycle-riding burly guys mixed effortlessly with real estate tycoons and Upper East Side social fixtures, united by a love of animals. "Take my picture with the guys," singer Bebe Buell, (Steven Tyler's ex) said, as Nicole Miller glided by. Buell looked at home at Sway, the SoHo club which has seen the likes of Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, Bono, Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman in its banquettes. Actress Leesa Rowland had prevailed upon owners Dominick D'Alleva and Robin Cofer to open their doors to benefit Last Chance for Animals (LCA), an animal rights advocate group founded by actor Chris DeRose that uses undercover investigation to expose animal abuse, and change laws towards the humane treatment of all living things.

"I got involved with Last Chance for Animals when my friend Chris DeRose founded it in 1984." Rowland told us. "It started out exposing the vivisection of animals. They were being dissected alive. LCA also were the first people to blow out the puppy mills. Chris went undercover. They were breeding the dogs continuously, keeping them in diseased and horrendous conditions and killing them when their breeding days are over. Another target they brought to light were factory farms."

Chris DeRose and Leesa Rowland. (Rob Rich)

"We do investigation into very big cases," DeRose said. "We do things no one else does. Once we start an investigation we always conclude. And we get the person we're going after every time." They worked on the Michael Vicks case and recently exposed a big Miami internet puppy mill operation. "We went after that for a year-and-a-half."

The burly guys are also committed to getting their man, and their dog. They are eight tough guys (with soft hearts) who call themselves "Rescue Ink," and had their own TV show on the National Geographic channel. Often, they go after animal abusers where others fear to tread.

Buell finished talking to them and said, "I'm here because I think animals are just as much spirits and souls as we are. You can't do everything, but Last Chance for Animals is important because people seem to be getting more and more horrific in the way they disrespect the rights of creatures. It breaks my heart." Like so many in the room, she had beloved pets waiting for her at home. "One of my dogs is a puppy mill rescue. He was one pound when I got him, put him in my pocket and took him home. Now, he's 11 years old and weighs eight pounds."