Us Weekly magazine dedicates an entire page spread to sharing images of celebrities doing “regular people” activities like walking or going to the supermarket with the phrase “Stars -- they’re just like us” pasted in the center. Oftentimes, the magazine’s pictures include photographs of famous people alongside their beloved dogs.
Out of these select celebrities, several have gone above and beyond, empowered by their adoration toward animals, to aid dogs in need, through monetary donations and charity involvement.
To begin, Lisa Vanderpump, restaurateur and reality TV star, has dedicated a significant amount of time and money to care for pets in need. As seen on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and Vanderpump Rules, Vanderpump and her husband, Ken Todd, are the proud parents of eight dogs, seven swans, and two ponies--all residing in their Beverly Hills home.
Given her love for animals, she began a non-profit dog rescue organization called Vanderpump Dogs, located in West Hollywood. The structure can be seen from miles away thanks to its alluring pink exterior. Aside from the adoption aspect of the organization, they sell many curated products in store; Vanderpump herself is “very involved in designing the products,” she said in an interview with Modern Magazine.
Also contributing to the creation of Vanderpump Pets, Vanderpump “saw the atrocities” of the Yulin Dog Meat Festival, the more she became “immersed in the pet world.” Ever since then, she chose to fight for dog rights. As of now, she has spoken in front of Congress to denounce the Yulin Dog Meat Festival, currently waiting for Resolution 752 to be passed. As a matter of fact, she encourages all dog lovers to reach out to local politicians about Resolution 752 to further help the case.
In the future, she plans to continue working relentlessly until the festival is shut down. She even has plans to speak to parliament about Yulin and their animal rights abuse. In the end, motivated by her affinity of four-legged friends, Vanderpump’s primary goal is to save as many dogs as she can.
Actress Jennifer Aniston has also become quite the philanthropist throughout her Hollywood career, donating large sums to charities such as St. Judes Children’s Research Hospital and Doctors Without Borders. Specifically, though, she is a dog lover herself and donated to the non-profit organization Best Friends Animal Society where she is also an honorary board member (see July 22 Paws for a Cause article for more information on the non-profit). The charity works toward a no-kill world, attempting to save every last dog and cat from homelessness. In addition to donations, Aniston posts about her three rescue dogs on social media, often captured playing in her yard.
Similar to Aniston, Actress Amanda Seyfried is an avid pup lover. Seyfried joined Best Friends Animal Society’s Save Them All campaign, which features celebrities and their rescue pets.
She adopted her Australian Shepherd, Finn, from Best Friends and flaunts adorable pictures of him on social media. Finn has his own Instagram account, @finnsite, with over 79 thousand followers. According to a People magazine interview, she discussed how Finn “saved her life” and helped her battle anxiety, as he offered a much-desired sense of stability.
"When you adopt, you not only save a life, but you end up with an amazing friend,” Seyfried said.
Model Kaia Gerber religiously posts about her rescue pup, Milo, as well. From the moment he was adopted, she has shared captions like “Thank you @thelabellefoundation for finding me the perfect forever cuddle buddy & the best friend a girl could ask for.”
Milo was adopted from the Labelle Foundation, a non-profit organization that has gained a massive following thanks to their adorable pups and celebrity clientele. As a result of Gerber’s growing love for dogs, she began fostering several Labelle Foundation pups throughout the pandemic, in her Malibu home. This way, she cares for the dogs before they are adopted into their forever homes--an incredibly admirable deed.
Finally, Paris Hilton, media personality and businesswoman, is, above all, a dog lover at heart. Since the early 2000s, she has been photographed with her late chihuahua, Tinkerbell, attached at the hip. In various interviews and her documentary, she expresses her love of dogs and heartbreak over Tinkerbell’s passing in 2020. Now, she is the mom to two Pomeranians who live in a two-story doggy mansion in Hilton’s backyard.
Hoping to help the canines she loves so dearly, Hilton has teamed up with Dog Tales Rescue and Sanctuary to save 21 Pit bulls from a dog-fighting ring in Tilbury, Ontario. If the dogs won, they were forced to continue fighting, and sadly, losing simultaneously meant dying. Although the dogs were eventually rescued, the Ontario SPCA filed a court order to euthanize all 21. As a result, #SaveThe21 became a trending hashtag, largely thanks to Paris Hilton’s online support. Thankfully, most of the dogs were saved and sent to a rehabilitation facility.
In summary, many celebrities care deeply for dogs. Thanks to their activism and large social media following, several pets’ lives are being saved. Whether through Instagram campaigns or physically volunteering, the animals are given chances to live more healthy, peaceful lives. It’s incredibly satisfying to see celebrities using their platforms for good, so be sure to check out their accounts for updates on various issues regarding animal rights! Plus, who doesn’t love to see dog pictures in their feed?
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