WORLD DOG DAY
OUR ANNUAL WORLD DOG DAY IS A DAY OF CELEBRATION WITH INCREDIBLE FOOD, FUN AND ENTERTAINMENT!
World Dog Day, started by The Vanderpump Dog Foundation in 2016, is a day that focuses on the celebration of dogs! The day aims to draw attention to the amazing, empathetic creatures that dogs are, while raising awareness about global dog abuse.
Together, we can create a better world for dogs, both domestically and internationally.
WORLD DOG DAY
PREVIOUS WORLD DOG DAYS
WORLD DOG DAY 2024
On Saturday, May 11th, 2024, Lisa Vanderpump, her husband, Ken Todd, and The Vanderpump Dog Foundation, hosted the seventh annual "World Dog Day" in West Hollywood, California, presented by NutriSource Pet Foods. The outdoor event, co-sponsored by The City of West Hollywood, focused on the celebration of dogs, as well as raising awareness about dog abuse and mistreatment, both domestically and internationally. Over two thousand people and their dogs were in attendance to join in on the festivities. This included over 45 pet-centered vendors, celebrities, live entertainment, a doggy fashion show and a doggy pie eating contest, as well as a Doggy Adoption area presented by Auctane. Founder of The Vanderpump Dog Foundation, Lisa Vanderpump, welcomed the attendees to the event, and raised a cheer for The Foundation’s work since its inception in 2016 and how many dogs’ lives they’ve saved worldwide.
“This truly is my favorite day of the year. We have seen so many horrific stories of neglect and abuse throughout the world since we opened the doors to our Rescue Center, and it’s so wonderful to come together for a day that is all about celebrating our furry friends and raising awareness for the humane treatment of dogs worldwide! It’s long been our mission to draw attention to animal cruelty and finally end some of the horrific things that we’ve seen, especially with regards to the dog meat trade internationally. Through the efforts of our Foundation, we have now rescued and re-homed close to 3,000 dogs, as well as operating our Rescue Center in China where we house and care for dogs rescued from the dog meat trade.”
The day featured doggy events and contests presented by SUR Restaurant & Lounge , MC’d by Kendall Young and People Magazine’s Sexiest Vet, Dr. Evan Antin, featuring stars of Hulu’s Vanderpump Villa Caroline Byl, Anthony Bar, Priscilla Ferrari and Nikki Millman as judges. The “Vanderpump Dogs Fashion Show,” presented by The Posh Puppy Boutique, crowned past Vanderpump Rescue Eugene Vanderpump as the winner, and Lisa awarded rescued Vanderpup Judy, who overcame heartbreaking tragedy, with The Vanderpump Dog Foundation’s “Dog Of The Year” Award. The day featured a doggy play park presented by South Park Doggie, as well as plenty of doggy vendors, doggy treats and a doggy stunt show by Zoom Room.
The event included NutriSource Pet Foods, as the main Title Sponsor; other sponsors included SUR Restaurant & Lounge who sponsored all the entertainment, Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. who sponsored the Education area, raising awareness for the health of dogs worldwide, Auctane who sponsored the Adoption Area, and Green Dog Dental (Dental Sponsor)! The event, which featured DJ Richie Rich, had many celebrities in attendance in support of the Vanderpump Dog Foundation’s annual event, including Vanderpump Rules’ Tom Schwartz, Peter Madrigal, and singer/philanthropist Leona Lewis.
“It’s such a proud day for our Foundation to see 7 years of hard work in the animal rescue sector come to fruition with such a heartwarming, feel-good day. Thank you to the City of West Hollywood for always supporting us, and to all of our sponsors, including NutriSource, that have really made a difference to our rescue efforts. We will continue to try and save as many dogs as we can.”
LISA VANDERPUMP WITH LEONA LEWIS
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WORLD DOG DAY 2021
On Saturday, May 28th, 2022, alongside, Lisa Vanderpump, and her husband, Ken Todd, we hosted our sixth annual "World Dog Day" Event in West Hollywood, California, presented by Nutrisource! The outdoor event, co-sponsored by The City of West Hollywood as part of the City’s Celebration of Pet Week, focused on the celebration of dogs, as well as raising awareness about dog abuse and mistreatment, both domestically and internationally. Over a thousand people and their dogs were in attendance to join in on the festivities. This included over 30 pet-centered vendors, celebrities, live entertainment, a doggy fashion show and a doggy pie eating contest!
“In such challenging times, where sadness has been so prevalent as of late, it really brings to light how incredible dogs are; they are empathetic, pure animals that truly make our lives better. Unfortunately, they often face neglect and abuse throughout the world, and it’s been our mission to draw attention to this, raise awareness and finally end some of the horrific things that we’ve seen, especially with regards to the dog meat trade internationally. Through the efforts of our Foundation, we have now rescued and re-homed 2,500 dogs, as well as maintained our Rescue Center in China and been able to help dogs in peril around the world, most recently with dogs fleeing Ukraine”
The day featured doggy events and contests MC’d by Lance Bass and Michael Turchin, and featuring stars of Bravo’s "Vanderpump Rules" Scheana Shay & Raquel Leviss, alongside Jorge Bendersky, Celebrity Dog Groomer, and Dr. Evan Antin (People Magazine’s Sexiest Vet) as judges. We held our “Vanderpump Dogs Fashion Show,” presented by The Posh Puppy Boutique, where our current Vanderpump Rescue (available for adoption!) Haley Vanderpump was the winner, and Lisa awarded rescued Vanderpup Brianna, who overcame heartbreaking tragedy, with The Vanderpump Dog Foundation’s “Dog Of The Year” Award. The day featured a doggy water park presented by Minni Dip, as well as plenty of doggy vendors, doggy treats and a doggy stunt show by 15-year-old Leyah Williams.
The event included NutriSource Pet Foods, as our main Title Sponsor; other sponsors included SUR Restaurant & Lounge who sponsored all the entertainment, Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. who sponsored the Education area, raising awareness for the health of dogs worldwide, and featuring sponsors Green Dog Dental (Dental Sponsor) and Metropolitan Animal Specialty Hospital (Medical Sponsor)! Lisa’s own TomTom and Pump Restaurant as well as neighbors The Abbey who also sponsored the event, which featured DJ Richie Rich, and a live performance by Thalo.
Many celebrities were in attendance in support of our Vanderpump Dog Foundation’s annual event, including Trixie Mattel, Lance Bass, Michael Turchin, Dr. Evan Antin, and Vanderpump Rules’ Scheana Shay, Brock Davies, Tom Schwartz, Tom Sandoval, Ariana Madix, Raquel Leviss and Katie Maloney Schwartz.
“To see this event, currently in its 6th year, be such a positive and heartwarming event in the community, is really a proud day for us and our Foundation. Thank you to the City of West Hollywood for always supporting us, and to all of our sponsors, including Nutrisource, that have really made a difference to our rescue efforts. We will continue to push forward and try and rescue as many dogs as we can.”
Photo by Faye’s Vision
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WORLD DOG DAY 2021
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.
“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!”
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!”
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WORLD DOG DAY 2019
On Saturday, May 18, 2019, Lisa Vanderpump, Ken Todd, and the Vanderpump Dog Foundation, hosted the fourth annual ‘World Dog Day’ in West Hollywood, California. Our event, presented by FetchPet Insurance, focused on the celebration of dogs as well as raising awareness about global dog abuse and ending the Yulin Dog Meat Festival in China that begins later next month.
“Through the efforts of our Foundation we have now rescued and re-homed 1000 dogs. Recently we have acquired and now operate two shelters in China that are rehabilitating hundreds of survivors of the horrific Yulin Dog Meat Festival.”
Several thousand people and their dogs were in attendance to join in on the festivities. This included over 40 pet-centered vendors, a morning “Doga” class, live entertainment from artist Luxe and special performance by the “Super Collies” from America’s Got Talent.
Additionally, stars of Bravo’s ‘Vanderpump Rules’, Brittany Cartwright and Jax Taylor, served as hosts of the first ever “Best of Vanderpump Rescue Contest” sponsored by Posh Puppy Boutique that crowned Vanderpump Rescue ‘Bear’ as the Vanderpump Rescue Dog of the Year.
Other sponsors of event included: SUR Restaurant & Lounge, Animal Planet, Urban Dog Solutions, T. Jazelle Jewelry, Healthy Paws Herbals and Green Convergence.
Many celebrities were in attendance in support of the Vanderpump Dog Foundation’s annual event including Joyce Giraud, Scheana Marie, James Kennedy, Raquel Leviss, Tom Schwartz, Tom Sandoval, Billie Lee, Dr. Evan Antin, Heather McDonald, Victoria Asher, Craig Ramsay, Naomi Grossman, Angela Martini and Kaila Methven,
“To see this event, that started off as a vision between my husband, Ken and Executive Director of the Foundation, Dr. John Sessa, grow larger and more successful every year, I know we are making positive change. Coupled with our celebration of adopting 1000 rescues to their forever homes, I am thrilled with what we’ve accomplished. I am so thankful for the wonderful support from our sponsors, the City of West Hollywood and the community!”
WORLD DOG DAY 2018
On Saturday, May 19, 2018, we hosted our third annual ‘World Dog Day’ in West Hollywood, California! The event, presented by NexGard and SUR Restaurant & Lounge focused on the celebration of dogs as well as raising awareness about global dog abuse and ending the Yulin Dog Meat Festival in China that began later the following month.
Nearly 4000 people and their dogs were in attendance to join in on the festivities. This included, over 35 pet-centered vendors, dog agility park, a morning “Doga” class and the Lucy Pet K-9 Wave Machine truck that enabled over 100 dogs to surf on San Vicente Blvd.
““We are thrilled that on World Dog Day, we adopted out 10 of our adoptable dogs and we were so happy to have many of our dogs that have already found their forever home, return for this amazing event.”
Singer, song writer and animal welfare campaigner, Leona Lewis welcomed the thousands of guests to the event and presented the “Vanderpump Dog Foundation Awareness Ambassador” to ‘Bo,’ who was rescued by Executive Director of the Foundation, Dr. John Sessa last year while aiding survivors of the Yulin Dog Meat Festival.
Additionally, singer Lance Bass and his husband, Michael Turchin, served as hosts of the 2nd Annual “VP Posh Puppy Pageant” spon- sored by Posh Puppy Boutique and 1st Annual “Doggy Look a Like Contest” sponsored by Kic- kee Pets that crowned, Vanderpump Rules’ Brittany Cartwright and her dog, Monroe, for the second year in a row.
““As we continue to fight to end the inhumane treatment of dogs worldwide. I am thankful for the wonderful support of my friends, the City of West Hollywood and the community during this diffi- cult time in my life. I thank Leona Lewis and Lance Bass who stepped in to host on my behalf; it was uplifting to see so many people come together to celebrate dogs and raise awareness.”
Since opening the doors to their Rescue Center on W. 3rd Street in Los Angeles in March of 2017, the Vanderpump Dog Foundation has adopted out over 550 dogs.
Other sponsors of event included: Zappos for Good, PetFirst Health Insurance, Just Food For Dogs and ForeverLawn.
Many celebrities were in support of Lisa Vanderpump and the Vanderpump Dog Foundation’s annual event including Teddi Mellencamp and Camille Grammer, co-stars on Bravo’s ‘Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.’ Contestants featured in the two contests included, Vanderpump Rules’ Stassi Schroeder, Katie Maloney, Tom Schwartz, Ariana Madix, Tom Sandoval, Kristen Doute, Brittany Cartwright and Jax Taylor.
WORLD DOG DAY 2017
On Sunday, June 25, 2017, Lisa Vanderpump and her husband, Ken Todd, hosted the second annual World Dog Day in Los Angeles presented by Zappos for Good and SynLawn. The day focused on the celebration of dogs as well as raising awareness about global dog abuse and ending the Yulin Dog Meat Festival in China. The event stood out in stark comparison against the atrocities occurring annually in Yulin. Vanderpump, who has committed to ending the horrific Yulin Dog Meat Festival, hailed World Dog Day as “an example of what a real dog festival should look like – celebrating man’s best friend and how much they add to our lives – instead of causing them pain and suffering.”
“Today is an example of what a real dog festival should look like – celebrating man’s best friend and how much they add to our lives – instead of causing them pain and suffering.”
Thousands of people were in attendance for the event, and hundreds of dogs celebrated the day with their owners, at a street party that stretched from La Jolla to Crescent Heights Blvd on West Third Street, in front of The Vanderpump Dog Center. With over 35 vendors, the first ever “VP Posh Pup Pageant 2017," performances by Nash Overstreet and Symon, and a dog agility park, the event was a huge success!
“I was also honored to meet and recognize firefighter Andrew Klein who rescued and gave CPR to a dog who had been trapped in a burning building,” Lisa Vanderpump said when presenting him with the “Vanderpump Dog Foundation Hero Award.”
““A wonderful time was had by all at this year’s World Dog Day. We were able find several dogs forever homes, enjoy great entertainment, and raise a lot of awareness and funds to continue our Foundation’s mission!”
Other sponsors of the event included SUR Restaurant and Lounge, Posh Puppy Boutique, PRAI Beauty and BLK Water. Many celebrities also attended the event, including Christy Gibel, Nicky Whelan, Kerry Rhodes, Emmy Perry, Asia Monet Ray, and Vanderpump Rules’ Scheana Marie, Katie Maloney Schwartz, Tom Schwartz, Ariana Madix, Tom Sandoval, Lala Kent, James Kennedy, Kristen Doute and Brittany Cartwright.
“We are so thrilled and thankful for the turnout at World Dog Day. Given the atrocities happening in Yulin right now, this was a day celebrating the wonderful animals we are trying to protect,” Lisa Vanderpump also said of the event. Her husband and President of The Vanderpump Dog Foundation, Ken Todd, added “it was an incredibly moving, memorable day and we thank everyone who attended.”
WORLD DOG DAY 2016
On May 22, 2016 Lisa Vanderpump and her husband, Ken Todd, hosted the first ever World Dog Day in West Hollywood, CA. The event, which focused on the celebration of dogs and awareness of global dog abuse, was an enormous success.
“I think it’s a day where we all come together and we celebrate the wonderful creatures in our lives. It’s all about creating noise. When you create noise, you’ll be heard. We are a voice for the voiceless, but I think by making noise, we can implement change, and that’s what we’re doing.”
There were over 4,000 people in attendance, and about 2,000-3,000 dogs came with their owners to celebrate the big day. On top of that, the adoption portion of the event proved to be a huge success, with over 8 adoption organizations present. Countless dogs found homes and many connections were made to provide for future adoption opportunities. There were various rescue groups present in the rescue area, including the Beagle Freedom Project, St. Martin's Animal Foundation, Marley's Mutts, and Reversed Rescue.
Celebrities flocked to support such an important cause, including Leona Lewis, Lance Bass, Kyle Richards, Lea Black, Katherine Edwards, the cast of Vanderpump Rules, Lizzy Greene, Natalie Halcro, Olivia Pierson, and Isabella St. James.
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