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How Did Lisa Vanderpump Get Her Friends to Help Her Protest the Yulin Dog Meat Festival?
The #RHOBH philanthropist asked for something more valuable than money.
We all know Lisa Vanderpump loves animals, especially her dogs. However, Lisa doesn't just like to fill Villa Rosa up with furry friends; she has devoted her life to protecting the welfare of animals all over the world.
Lisa has recently been extremely active in protesting the Yulin Dog Meat Festival, an annual event in China's Guangxi province where thousands of dogs are killed for their meat. In fact, she galvanized the support of her Real Housewives of Beverly Hills castmates and Vanderpump Rules SURvers to march in protest of the Yulin Dog Meat Festival last October, which we'll see in Tuesday night's episode.
So how does Lisa get her friends to help her support a cause that's close to her heart? She asks them to donate something very valuable. "I never ask people for money because sometimes it’s a very uncomfortable situation and it can put a lot of pressure on relationships. Instead, I like to ask my friends for their time," Lisa wrote in a recent article on Motto. "For example, I produced a PSA denouncing the torture of dogs in Yulin. So I called up Sharon Osborne and I said, 'I really need your help.' I won’t call her up and ask her for her money, but I will ask her for her time."
Lisa explained that growing up "with incredible, avant-garde, liberal parents who were just so accepting" inspired her altruistic attitude as an adult. "I learned the importance of compassion early on," she said. "My social activism is driven by that compassion: When I see people struggling, when I see people who are misunderstood, I want to do something."
The RHOBH restaurateur also recommends broadening your ideas about what social activism can be and setting aside 10 minutes a day to help support a cause you care about. "I do believe that if we turn away, ultimately we are condoning whatever is going on because we are doing nothing to stop it," Lisa wrote. "We all have an obligation to do something and be constructive."
And Lisa's work is proof that social activism can have results. Lisa recently thanked the nearly 8 million Chinese citizens who voted online to support a legislative proposal to ban the country's dog and cat meat trade, as reported by the Humane Society International.
We have a feeling Lisa will continue to fight until the event is gone for good.
See more Bravoleb-filled pics from Lisa's march to end the Yulin Dog Meat Festival, below.
