The Vanderpump Dog Foundation Second Annual Fundraising Gala a Huge Celebrity-Studded Success

​​​On November 9th, 2017, Lisa Vanderpump and The Vanderpump Dog Foundation hosted its second annual Gala, presented by Zappos for Good, at the Taglyan Cultural Complex in Los Angeles. The purpose of the Gala was to raise awareness about their efforts to end the dog meat trade, draw attention to their current and future campaigns within the US and raise money to continue the Foundation’s work. The Gala was a complete success – hundreds of people gathered together to celebrate dogs, and help improve the lives of abused and mistreated dogs both domestically and internationally.

The Gala’s red carpet kicked off at 6pm, with a beautiful candlelit cocktail hour and a silent auction. Celebrities and attendees bid on a variety of donated luxury items ranging from hotel stays to dog beds and luxury beauty packages. At 7:30pm the doors opened to a stunning ballroom complete with pink roses and candelabras for a dinner that included music, dancing, celebrity performances, celebrity speakers and an incredible Live Auction of one-of-a-kind experiences.

Mario Lopez, the event’s host for the second year in a row, began the evening and continued to host throughout the night. The Vanderpump Dog Foundation’s founder, Lisa Vanderpump, made a heart-wrenching and moving speech, while recapping the successes of the Foundation, including medical missions to Yulin, China, and Haiti, as well as sharing some of the incredible success stories of the 350 dogs adopted out since the Vanderpump Dog Rescue Center opened on West 3rd Street in Los Angeles in March of 2017. 

The Vanderpump Dog Foundation honored former corporal Megan Leavy, presenting her with their 2017 “Dog Hero” Award for her service to both her country and the canine community. The Foundation also awarded Honey, a survivor of the Yulin Dog Meat Festival this year, as their “2017 Dog of the Year”. Honey was rescued from the Yulin Dog Meat Festival, and brought back to the Vanderpump Dog Rescue Center by the Executive Director of the Foundation, Dr. John Sessa, and has since been adopted by a loving, caring family. 

Celebrity performances were peppered throughout this gorgeous event, with performances by Billy Gilman (The Voice), singer and actor Cheyenne Jackson (American Horror Story), and an incredible dinner performance by the band Shirley House. The night ended with a spectacular dance performance from Dancing with the Stars’ Julz Tocker and partner Rachel White, followed by a night of guests dancing, with stars Lance Bass, Michael Turchin, Lisa Vanderpump and Ken Todd leading the way. 

Many of Lisa’s close friends showed up to support the cause, including a wonderful amount of celebrities who helped raise awareness on the red carpet and through social media. Aside from Extra’s Mario and Courtney Lopez, Lance Bass and Michael Turchin, who supported the event by hosting and presenting, Real Housewives cast members Gretchen Rossi & Slade Smiley, Taylor Armstrong, Joyce Giraud, Melissa Gorga, Dolores Catania, Teddi Jo Mellencamp, D’Andra Simmons and Kameron Westcott were in attendance. Vanderpump Rules cast members Jax Taylor, Kristen Doute, Brian Carter, Brittany Cartwright, Scheana Shay, Stassi Schroeder, Peter Madrigal, Katie Maloney-Schwartz, Tom Schwartz, Ariana Madix, Tom Sandoval and James Kennedy came out to support. Other celebrities who attended included Christy and Autumn Gibel, Mohamed Hadid, Shiva Safai, Jeff Lewis, Gage Edwards, Jenni Pulos, Jonathan Nassos, John Jay, Amanda Stanton, Jasmine Goode, Mercedes Javid, Wendy Burch, Fortune Feimster, Heather McDonald, Austin Anderson and Emmy Perry. 

This event would not have been possible without the generous support of presenting sponsor Zappos for Good (www.ZapposForGood.com), hosting sponsor Collide (www.collide.com), corporate sponsors Evolution Media (www.evolutionmedia.com), Randy and Mindy Levine, Palm Bay International (www.palmbay.com) and SUR Restaurant (www.surrestaurant.com). Other sponsors of the event included, Kibble Pet (kibblepet.com), Shady Paws (shadyface.com), Emmy’s Hope (www.emmyshope.com), Lovegevity (www.lovegevity.university), Loyola High School of Los Angeles (loyolahs.edu), and the Hutcherson Family. 

For more information on The Vanderpump Dog Foundation visit their website www.vanderpumpdogs.org

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ABOUT THE VANDERPUMP DOG FOUNDATION

The Vanderpump Dog Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit dog rescue organization, working on both a domestic and international front to help create a better world for dogs globally. Founders Lisa Vanderpump & Ken Todd began the long journey towards trying to stop the barbaric torture practices at the Yulin Dog Meat Festival and end the dog meat trade in Asia, in 2015. Together with their partner Dr. John Sessa, they launched the campaign Stop Yulin Forever, which ultimately led them to create The Vanderpump Dog Foundation. The movement gained momentum and has inspired activists all over the world to work towards ending the Yulin Dog Meat Festival and encourage more humane treatment for dogs worldwide. The Vanderpump Dog Foundation was formed to not only aid in ending this international atrocity, but to also better the lives of dogs domestically. The United States faces many problems of its own including dog overpopulation, abuse, neglect and lack of education with regards to spaying and neutering pets. With the opening of their new Vanderpump Dog Rescue Center in LA, The Vanderpump Dog Foundation aims to reduce these problems within California and beyond, as well as continue their national and international campaigns built on a platform of education, legislation, and activism.

Media Contact:

John Blizzard
JBlizzard@VanderpumpDogs.org

The Vanderpump Dog Foundation:

8134 West Third Street, Los Angeles CA 90048
1-323-852 –DOGS
Info@VanderpumpDogs.org