By Marques Harper
Los Angeles Times
WWR Article Summary (tl;dr) Vanderpump, who has eight dogs herself, said she wanted to create the “Vanderpump Dog Rescue Center” so people could volunteer, get pet grooming services or spend time with, or adopt, dogs.
LOS ANGELES
With its bright pink exterior and white picket fence, the Vanderpump Dog Rescue Center, one of entrepreneur and reality TV star Lisa Vanderpump’s latest ventures, is hard to miss, especially if the “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” costar and her husband’s white Rolls-Royce is parked out front.
“It was a couple of years ago that we got involved in the pet business,” Vanderpump, 56, said during a visit to the rescue center, which opened this year.
“Housewives” fans know Vanderpump, who also stars in Bravo TV’s “Vanderpump Rules”, and her husband, Ken Todd, are passionate about dogs.
The couple and their venture partner, John Sessa, have been raising awareness for the canine kind through the Vanderpump Dog Foundation, which was founded in 2016 and will hold its second annual gala on Nov. 9.
Vanderpump, who has eight dogs herself, said she wanted to create a center where people could volunteer, get pet grooming services or spend time with, or adopt, dogs.
The rescue center sells dog treats, food, clothes and accessories, and 100 percent of proceeds are donated back to the center and its programs.
Vanderpump, who has restaurants in Beverly Hills and West Hollywood, including Pump, said her well-dressed dog, Giggy, inspired the center.
The other reason was less glamorous. Vanderpump learned about the annual Lychee and Dog Meat Festival in Yulin, China, where reportedly 10,000 dogs are killed and eaten.
Vanderpump is working on a documentary about the dog festival and hopes the project reaches a wide audience.
“When you have celebrity, and I use that term loosely … I think it comes with responsibility to draw attention to causes that are important to you,” she said.
