Much Love’s official spokeswoman and honorary board member, Tori Spelling stepped out with husband Dean McDermott to show her support for the event and to drum up donations for the Mimi La Rue fund to help sick and injured animals.

My beloved pug Mimi La Rue who passed away last month was truly one of the great loves of my life. She was an inspiration to all and touched everyone’s lives who came in to contact with her. I originally bought Mimi at a pet store. At the time, like a lot of people, I was uninformed and clueless when it came to rescue work. I had no idea how awful it was to buy a dog from a store instead of rescuing them. Today I am a huge supporter of animal rescue and I often say that the day I bought Mimi was truly my first act of rescue work unbeknownst to myself. Mimi came with a slew of medical problems from the get go. I blame this on the ignorance of pet stores who purchase from puppy mills and contribute to the continuation of inbreeding which causes all sorts of health problems in dogs. At 6 months old Mimi had to have hip surgery. She was also diagnosed at age 5 with a form of heart disease and a neck problem so severe that many specialists said that she would not live a long life or would suffer paralysis.

Mimi gave me unconditional love and in return I never gave up on her! Medically I did all I could for her (even when people said I was so Hollywood for sending her to accupunture every week). I’m blessed that I had the luxury of being able to afford Mimi’s medical bills and I’m happy to say that Mimi La Rue, a miracle in her own right, passed away at age 11 comfortably in her sleep, in her home, surrounded by family.

However, there are many people out there that can’t afford to pay for their sick or injured pets’ medical bills or simply don’t want to invest the time or money. Because of this, pets are abandoned or dumped at shelters daily.

So, to honor the memory of Mimi La Rue and with the help of Much Love Animal Rescue, I am starting The Mimi La Rue Fund for sick and injured animals. Because of Mimi and her zest for life (and pink dresses!) Much Love will have the funds to rescue these animals from the shelters that otherwise would not have the chance to find loving homes.

Thank you for your support!