Page 66 - Demo

66 || CELEBRITY MAGAZINE || MAY-JUNE 2017What events and life experiences motivated you to start this organization? I started Amore for Dogs with my husband a few years ago. I have always loved dogs, and I had a Bichon Frise for 14 years; she was my baby, the love of my life, and her name was Amore. She was with me every day and night, traveled everywhere, and was always there for me. After she passed, I missed her terribly, and my life changed without her. Once she was gone, I started rescuing dogs, and it was like she was guiding me and telling me what to do from Heaven, so I decided to start this foundation and try to save as many dogs as I could. I raise as much money as I can and donate it to shelters and rescues around the world. I named the foundation after her, AMORE FOR DOGS, which means %u201clove for dogs%u201d in Italian.Tell us about the rescues you support?I have narrowed it down to a few that I support because I had an unfortunate experience with one of the shelters in the past where I was donating without checking, and I learned my lesson. I am now more diligent in who I deal with and who I spend my time with as a volunteer. Waggin%u2019 Trails is one of the main rescues I support, and the owner and I have become friends and partners. I go with her and pull out the dogs from the shelters and she sends all the dogs out of state, hence the name of her rescue, and some go to Canada, some go to Oregon, etc. They go to either families that are ready to adopt, foster families, or rescues that are organized and trustworthy. I know where the money goes and how everything is handled. There is also another shelter about 20 mins from our house, near the beach, which is a non-kill shelter, that I also work with. Again, I know the owner, and I like the way they run their shelter.What plans do you have to make an impact on society this year? My goal is to educate more through media, my photos and some of the modeling, shows and events that I do. I use every tool I have and all my powers to raise money, make good contacts, and learn as much as I can to then educate people about the animal world. People truly don%u2019t understand how shelters and rescues work, and they often can%u2019t handle the dog they adopt because they did not receive any education or were not taught how to train their new dogs. There is a lot going on in these rescues and shelters that the public doesn%u2019t know, so I want to help people better understand.What advice do you have for people who want to adopt or rescue a dog?I would say to go to the shelters and see them in person. Sometimes shelters mistreat the animals, and some are clean and some are not so clean. And so then a lot of people go to the rescues, but adopting through a rescue is very difficult because they often give pages and pages to read and sign, making it almost impossible to adopt a dog. I have tried to help a few people get dogs and make phone calls, and I have seen firsthand how difficult it can be. Most have waiting lists, and they also have their favorites so on Saturday and Sunday when they go to the stores they just bring a few of their favorite dogs to showcase for people to choose; it%u2019s like politics.Rescue shelters need to have more contacts or friendly ways to get in touch with the public, and I suggest that people should research non-kill shelters and rescues and attend events. Going to events is truly the best way because you get to meet the founder, and to know what they are about, what they support, and it%u2019s a good way to get to know which rescue you want to deal with. Overall, people need to be more careful, more hands on, go to events, visit the shelter, open your eyes, and ask questions. These animals need to be treated like humans, not like furniture.You are a model and fitness model and come from a background with fashion-how does that play a part in your everyday life and in your charity? I try to keep what I like to do and enjoy doing and mix it with my passion for dogs. I have done postcard projects and a calendar featuring various photos shoots in the past with all my dogs. I also do a lot of local shows and events and expos, and many of the other foundations can come across grim and depressing, and you see all these dogs in the cages. But the way my booth stands out, is that we make it very happy and pink and cute, and we dress up the dogs and give out free samples of products, while at the same time educating people about how rescue dogs need a lot of attention and that they need to realize what goes on in shelters and what exactly they are getting into.What upcoming projects or plans do you have for this year? Pet expos and those types of events typically start around this time and any that I think will have dog people there, I try to sign up for and have a booth. I%u2019m doing a horse race event soon, as there are a lot of dogs there, so it%u2019s a good way for me to connect with fellow dog lovers. There is also a surfing event and like the horse event, there are always a lot of people walking around with their dogs. Having a booth is a lot of fun, and I create baskets Q&A:Viviana