Any dog lover – or really any human with half a soul – has been crazy disturbed by the awful photos that emerge every year from the annual Yulin dog meat festival in southern China. At the event, 10,000 dogs are tortured, killed, and eaten each year for the sole purpose of men’s sexual performance. Yeah – the locals seriously believe that eating a tortured pup will improve sexual prowess by having the dog’s adrenaline tenderize the meat.
Now Lisa Vanderpump and her husband Ken Todd, dog lovers who own eight of their own, are taking a stand.
“A few months ago somebody sent me pictures of the festival on social media and I just couldn’t believe it. I’ve had so many sleepless nights over it,” the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star told Daily Mail. “They were just so barbaric, it was so upsetting. I thought if we turned away we’re almost condoning it.”
Today, the dog loving couple is launching the Vanderpump Dog Foundation, which they hope will improve the lives of abused and mistreated dogs, in particular by ending the Yulin festival. This will come first from drawing attention to the horrid event, which is scheduled to take place again on June 21.
Lisa and Ken are also meeting with California governor Jerry Brown about the issue and setting up a shelter for rescued pups.
“We’re going to set up a dog rescue center in West Hollywood for any dogs that are mistreated, abused, or left, and we’re also trying to set up a rescue center in Yulin, China so we can rescue dogs from the festival and then feed them, nurture them, and place them in homes,” Lisa said. “That’s our aim.”
Want to help? Head to stopyulinforever.org to sign the petition and check out vanderpumpdogs.org to find out more about getting involved.
