2016 in Review: Fashion World Stands Up for Homeless Pets

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As we get ready to embark on a new year, DogTipper takes a look back at a few of the two-and-four-legged stars of the fashion world who know that trends may come and go, but compassion will never go out of style.

A perennial fixture on annual best dressed lists, international male supermodel David Gandy is also a role model. A celebrity ambassador for Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, the face of Dolce & Gabbana’s Light Blue fragrance is a familiar face at the UK charity’s fundraising events.

In November the supermodel was among the many celebrities to celebrate the renowned nonprofit organization’s continued success at the 8th annual Collars & Coats Ball. Held at Battersea Evolution in London, Gandy was among the guests who were met on the red carpet by a tail-wagging Guard of Honour.

The elegant fundraising evening included toe-tapping tunes by Sister Sledge and appearances by such courageous canines as Whippet, a kind-hearted Staffordshire Bull Terrier mix who has overcome the pain of being pulled across a parking lot as a puppy by a gang of thugs, and today teaches prison inmates the importance of caring for our four-legged friends.

Earlier in the year the king of the catwalk welcomed The Duchess of Cornwall to Battersea Dogs and Cats Home in London, where the Rover-loving royal toured the facility’s new Veterinary Hospital and Centre of Excellence. The state-of-the-art hospital includes three operating theaters, a dedicated dental suite, and a new intensive care area and sound-proof recovery wards.

Compassionate pair Kate Upton and Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers, who became engaged in 2016, engaged in helping homeless animals find their special someone to love at The Grand Slam Adoption Event, which took place at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, Florida. This marked the second year that the Sports Illustrated model (who frequently highlights pets in need via social media) has hosted the free event, which showcased adoptables from SPCA Florida.

Accompanied by fellow Humane Society International campaigners and her dog Digby, model/entrepreneur Lucy Watson from the hit British reality series Made in Chelsea took a stand against South Korea’s dog meat trade. Watson’s signature, along with those of such animal-loving luminaries as Dame Judi Dench, Downton Abbey star Peter Egan, and famous dog behaviorist Victoria Stilwell, appeared in a letter organization by Humane Society International requesting decisive action to end the cruel practice.

Liisa Winkler, who has stepped out on the runway in garments by Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren, stepped into her role as ambassador for World Animal Protection earlier this year for a photo shoot celebrating a milestone for the organization. Thanks to World Animal Protection, one million rabies vaccinations have been distributed, not only helping to eradicate the dreaded disease, but also to end the unnecessary killing of dogs in vulnerable areas around the globe.

Fashion Designers (and Their Canine Companions!) Helping Dogs in Need

A trend-setting bull terrier who unleashed his own pictorial barkography in 2016, Neville Jacobs– fashion designer Marc Jacobs‘ furry family member– donated the proceeds from Neville Jacobs: I’m Marc’s Dog to The Sato Project, a non-profit which rescues homeless dogs in Puerto Rico. (The stylish Spot also showed his support for the paws cause in late 2015, welcoming dogs who had faced their fate at Dead Dog Beach upon their arrival at Kennedy Airport.)

Photo Credit: Amazon

Known for his catwalk creations, fashion icon Isaac Mizrahi sketched dog-centric design for the T-shirts worn on the two-legged participants who took steps to help homeless animals in the 23rd annual Stroll to the SeaDog Walk fundraiser for ARF Hamptons.

Stylish Spots Show Support for Paws Causes

A fashion-forward Fido who has starred in several modeling campaigns (including a collection of Karen Walker eyewear which raised funds for a paws cause) Instagram icon/puppy mill survivor Toast helped dogs in need turn the page to a new chapter in their lives when she unleashed her book ToastHampton: How to Summer in Style, a coffee table book which raises funds for the Amanda Hearst-founded Friends of Finn, a committee committed to ending the plight of puppy mill dogs.

Photo Credit: Amazon

Toast was also the toast of the town whenever she attended an event in support of a paws cause. In May 2016 she mingled with Dylan Lauren (daughter of fashion designer Ralph Lauren) at Dylan’s Candy Bar in New York City during a dog adoption event which helped to shine a spotlight on pups from the Monmouth County SPCA and Animal Lighthouse Rescue. In November she hobnobbed with stars at Cipriani 42nd Street during the 2016 Humane Society of the United States To the Rescue! fundraiser.

Rovers ruled the runway in retro wear at the 11th annual New York Pet Fashion Show, benefiting Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals. Both attendees and tail-waggers ‘flipped’ for former Olympic gymnast Dominique Moceanu, who was among those who escorted the couture-conscious canines on the catwalk at Hotel Pennsylvania.