As we get ready for the start of a new year, let’s take a look back at a few of the many reality personalities who helped to create a new reality for dogs in need in 2017:
Since 2016 Lisa Vanderpump has helped canines in all countries through The Vanderpump Dog Foundation, which celebrated the second annual World Dog Day this year. A time to pay tribute to our tail-wagging chums, the event also helped to shine a light on the plight of our four-legged friends in China who find themselves in danger due to the Yulin Dog Meat Festival. (A cause close to her heart, the year also saw the premiere of Vanderpump’s documentary “The Road to Yulin.”)
Lisa Vanderpump at the second annual World Dog Day in Los Angeles:
While continuing to champion the rights of Rovers around the world, in 2017 The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star also helped dogs in the L.A. area find forever homes by opening The Vanderpump Dog Rescue Center. The 6,000 square foot facility offers adoptables a posh place to stay as they wait for the day when they find a family to love, as well as a chic boutique and grooming services for the public’s pets, with 100 percent of the profits aiding the center’s rescue efforts.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star and her barking buddy Giggy the Pom at the preview of The Vanderpump Dog Rescue Center:
Knowing that saving the lives of dogs and cats in need can be a race against time, The Real Housewives of New York City‘s Carole Radziwill ran the New York Marathon for a paws cause! By pounding the pavement the reality star raised $3,605 for an organization that always goes the extra mile for our four-legged friends– North Shore Animal League America!
As animal lovers we wear our hearts on our sleeves, and thanks to Patricia Altschul from the Bravo series Southern Charm we can also wear our love for our companion animals close to our heart, and help a paws cause in the process! Patricia’s Couture by Sherina offers custom caftans, scarves and pjs decorated with a print of a client’s pup or purring pal, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting animal welfare organizations. In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey the socialite showed her support for efforts to save animals affected by the natural disaster by donating all of the proceeds for a limited time to the Houston Humane Society.
As a reality TV personality Chloe Meadows may be accustomed to ‘cat fights,’ but The Only Way is Essex cast member made it clear that no one should tolerate dog fights when she joined explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes outside Parliament to shine a spotlight on a League Against Cruel Sports campaign to increase sentences for the perpetrators of the violent practice. Joining the TV star was Cupcake, a rescued Staffordshire Terrier who had suffered from broken teeth, nerve damage to one eye, blunt trauma to the head, and facial and neck scarring from her days of forced fighting and breeding. Meadows was among the more than 85,000 people with a passion for compassion who signed the League’s petition.
The star stated: “I don’t understand how anyone can abuse animals and why so little is being done to stop it. Animals need our voice which is why I’m supporting the League Against Cruel Sports and their campaign to strengthen the law.”
Knowing that one way to honor a pet who has passed is to help an animal in need, reality personality Bethenny Frankel– who mourned the loss of her 17-year-old canine companion Cookie in 2017– saved the lives of two dogs whose world had been turned upside down due to the devastation wrought in Puerto Rico by Hurricane Maria. While lending a helping hand through her B Strong program, which partnered with Delivering Good to aid families in the aftermath of the natural disaster, she met dogs she dubbed Brooklyn and Monkey. The Real Housewives of New York City star relayed to her Instagram followers: “Look at these sweet babies that I personally rescued from starvation & dehydration. They’re fixed, fed, vaccinated, etc. They have that new car smell & I’m bringing them home from Puerto Rico this week.” Making it back to the mainland, the pups were cared for by North Shore Animal League America.
In 2017 Animal Aid USA rescued its 20,000th companion animal, thanks in part to a real prince among men, Prince Lorenzo Borghese. The star of The Bachelor season 9 (and president of The Royal Treatment brand of pet products) is the co-founder of the non-profit organization, which has been rescuing animals from shelters in the rural south since 2012.
RuPaul’s Drag Race judge Ross Mathews (who first gained fame an the intern on The Tonight Show) helped dogs and cats who long for forever families as a contestant on Celebrity Family Feud! The Hollywood Today co-host won $25,000 for the Palm Springs Animal Shelter (a no-kill shelter in the Coachella Valley). The TV personality is a proud pet parent to three dogs, including Selena Francisca Camarena Mathews, a 3-year-old Chihuahua (seen below) who was recently adopted by the star from the L.A. rescue Wags and Walks.
Stars from the British reality TV series The Only Way is Essex joined in the annual Dogs Trust Basildon Fun Day event, which raised more than 13,000 British pounds for the paws cause. Both Debbie Douglas and Pete Wicks acted as judges for the dog show, choosing the winners in such categories as “Waggiest Tail,” “Paw-fect Pups,” “Cutest Couple,” “Dog and Dad Duo,” and “Best in Show.” A proud pet parent to a pup from Dogs Trust, Pete Wicks exclaimed that the organization is “…a charity that’s close to my heart. I had such a fun day, judging some of the dog shows and meeting all the dogs! All funds raised go towards the care of the lovely dogs at the rehoming centre until they find their forever homes, so I’m sure there are plenty of wagging tails in Wickford!” One of 20 branches of Dogs Trust across the UK, Dogs Trust Basildon– which cares for approximately 120 homeless dogs on any given day– celebrated its third anniversary in June. Since opening its doors the Wickford-based adoption center has found loving families for over 2,800 dogs.
Continuing his quest to create a better reality for dogs in need, in 2017 Pete Wicks also traveled to South Korea with Humane Society International to rescue 170 dogs from slaughter at one of the country’s approximately 17,000 dog meat farms. The Only Way is Essex cast member brought 13 of the rescued canines to England, where they will begin their search for forever pet parents in early 2018, after recuperating from their ordeal. The other dogs saved during the mission of mercy traveled to the US and Canada to start their new lives.
I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! season 15 winner Vicky Pattison paid a visit to Dogs Trust Basildon to meet canines who are ready to win the hearts of forever pet parents. During her stay the former Geordie Shore and Ex on the Beach cast member became pals with adorable adoptables of all ages, from newborn Venus (seen below), who started out her life at the adoption center, to a trio of senior dogs named Bailey, Beau and Charlie. Discussing her visit, the star stated: “Today was the best way ever to start the week! I got to meet so many dogs and the amazing staff that look after them. I can’t believe anyone would overlook a dog just because of their age and I’m hoping that Charlie, Beau, and Bailey will soon be joining the other doggies that have found their new families. I’d have adopted them all if I could!”
She offers her opinion of indelible inkings on the MTV UK series Just Tattoo of Us, and offscreen British reality TV star Charlotte Crosby is helping an Australian animal welfare organization that has made a permanent impression on her heart. The former Geordie Shore star took on the role of ambassador for Animal Welfare League Queensland after touring the charity’s Gold Coast Rehoming Centre. Each year 8,600 dogs, puppies, cats and kittens find their special someone to love thanks to AWLQ’s rehoming centers in Beenleigh, Warra and Willawong, which collectively care for an estimated 8,600 homeless companion animals each day.
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