TooFab
Lisa Vanderpump has had a rough week.
Like many Americans, Vanderpump has been struggling with the loss of the 59 people who were killed in Las Vegas last weekend, but she's also been mourning the death of two of her pups -- Pink and Pikachu -- who passed away just nine days apart. It was all the more reason the reality star said she mustered up the strength to premiere her long-awaited dog abuse documentary, "The Road to Yulin," at the Awareness Film Festival Thursday night.
"In light of what's going on in the world -- and it's been a very emotional week for everybody, and I can't minimize what's going on in the world -- but it's been just so sad," Vanderpump told TooFab at the film's premiere at L.A. Live. "But it makes me realize that what we're fighting for is just about more kindness in the world and more empathy and to love each other."
"The Road to Yulin"
First Look at Lisa Vanderpump's Harrowing Dog Abuse Documentary 'The Road to Yulin' (Exclusive)
View Story"We've been devastated by what's gone on in the news this week, and I guess we just keep fighting the fight," she added. "But the fight is not just about us and dogs, it's about society in general."
The harrowing documentary includes raw footage of China's Yulin Dog Meat Festival, which the "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star and her crew of canine crusaders have been protesting for years. Their mission: save as many dogs as possible from being tortured, killed and eaten at the annual Chinese festival.
Vanderpump and her team were able to capture on film the atrocities that occurred during the 10-day event, which resulted in some pretty gut-wrenching footage. Fellow housewives Lisa Rinna, Kyle Richards, Dorit Kemsley, Camille Grammer and Joyce Giraud showed up to support their London lady, as did "Vanderpump Rules" stars Katie Maloney-Schwartz, Tom Schwartz, Tom Sandoval and Kristen Doute.
Also in attendance were Vanderpump's longtime friends, Lance Bass and Leona Lewis.
"This movie or short documentary has been like a couple of years in the making," Vanderpump said. "It's been an arduous journey, but what we're trying to do is implement change and create a more humane environment for dogs worldwide."
"We've been to Congress and we've been to China and we've had rallies, so this is just really seeing our fight come to fruition," she added. "Hopefully, [The Yulin Dog Meat Festival] will be ended next year if we can garner enough attention, get Resolution 401 passed -- that's what our intention is."
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