On Saturday, August 7, 2021, Lisa Vanderpump, Ken Todd, and The Vanderpump Dog Foundation, hosted the fifth annual “World Dog Day” in West Hollywood, California. The outdoor event, co-sponsored by The City of West Hollywood, focused on the celebration of dogs and raising awareness about dog abuse domestically and globally. Over a thousand people, their dogs and 20+ pet-centered vendors were in attendance.
Founder of The Vanderpump Dog Foundation, Lisa Vanderpump, welcomed the attendees to the event, reflecting on The Foundation’s work since its inception in 2016. “The past year has been extremely difficult for everyone and keeping a Foundation alive throughout COVID-19 has had its unique challenges. However, we feel that 2020 brought a newfound love and understanding for our furry friends to many people, providing love and support through these difficult times. It is such an incredible feeling to be able to finally come together and celebrate these animals, in our first event in almost two years. Through the efforts of our Foundation, we have now rescued and re-homed over 2,300 dogs domestically,” said Lisa Vanderpump.
Stars of Bravo’s “Vanderpump Rules,” Lala Kent and Raquel Leviss, alongside Dr. Evan Antin, served as hosts of the “Vanderpump Dogs Fashion Show.” Additionally, rescue “Diana” was named as the “Dog of The Year” after months of surgery and recovery from horrific wounds. Diana is now up for adoption at The Vanderpump Dog Foundation.
Sponsors of the event included Zappos, who sponsored the Adoption area, helping to find many animals their forever homes; SUR Restaurant & Lounge, who sponsored the entertainment (a fashion show, a live performance by Brandon Diaz and Jackie Foster, and DJ Richie Rich); Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. sponsored the Education Area, which also included Metropolitan Animal Specialty Hospital, Green Dog Dental, and The Abbey as the Vaccination Sponsor. Lisa’s own TomTom and Pump Restaurant also sponsored. Many celebrities were in attendance, including Iggy Azalea, Lance Bass, Michael Turchin, Dr. Evan Antin, Kent Boyd (Pride House LA), Emma Norton, Manolo Vergara, and Vanderpump Rules’ Tom Schwartz, Tom Sandoval, Lala Kent, Randall Emmett, James Kennedy, and Raquel Leviss.
“To see this event, currently in its fifth year, bounce back from the past year and be more successful than ever, I know we are making positive change and raising awareness for dogs worldwide. I am so thankful for the wonderful support from our sponsors, including one of our long-term sponsors Zappos, the City of West Hollywood and the community,” said Lisa Vanderpump.
The Vanderpump Dog Foundation, founded in 2016 by Lisa Vanderpump and husband Ken Todd, is a 501(c)(3) dog rescue organization working on both domestic and international fronts to create a better world for dogs.