LOXAHATCHEE, FL (Boca Post) (Copyright © 2025) — Big Dog Ranch Rescue says a night of “Barks, Jazz & Glam” at Mar-a-Lago turned into a record fundraiser, bringing in more than $4.5 million in a single evening for the no-kill dog rescue.
The gala, billed on social media as the 2025 Bark Bash and Winter Bark Bash, was led by Perri and Bob Bishop along with Lara Trump, who the rescue credited with “knock[ing] it out of the park” for the organization. In a recap posted to Facebook, Big Dog Ranch Rescue said the event “raised us over $4.5 million dollars in one night” and thanked guests and supporters who “rocked the rescue.”
According to the rescue’s post, money raised at the gala will go toward several major initiatives on its growing campus. That includes the new Bishop Healing Center, which is designed for long-term rehabilitation of critically injured dogs, and the Albers and Elliott Lifeline Surgery Center, described as a facility that will “provide affordable critical surgeries and community spay and neuters.”
Event organizers also targeted the group’s growing work with veterans and military families. Big Dog Ranch Rescue said part of the funding will be used “to double our Veteran Service Dog Training Program” and to support “funds to house deployed soldiers’ dogs while they are serving our country.” The rescue has paired rescue dogs with veterans and offers care for pets when service members are deployed, according to social media posts from attendees.
Beyond the fundraising total, the night also led directly to new homes for some of the dogs in the group’s care. Big Dog Ranch Rescue said “more than twenty dogs” were adopted by gala guests during the event.
On social media, the organization credited a committee of volunteers and vendors with turning the ballroom into a high-energy fundraiser. The rescue thanked Galaxy Productions “for making the event beautiful” and Verse Diamonds “for providing the dance floor for our guests to dance the night away.”
Attendees described the event as both glamorous and grounded in the rescue’s mission. On Instagram, Ms. Classic Universe titleholder Jade Alexandra called it “an unforgettable night at the 2025 Bark Bash — Barks, Jazz & Glam” and said it was “an honor to attend this beautiful event at Mar-a-Lago in support of Big Dog Ranch Rescue, an organization doing life-changing work for so many animals who deserve love, safety, and a second chance.”
She highlighted the scale of the operation, calling Big Dog Ranch Rescue “the largest cage-free, no-kill rescue in the United States,” and said its mission is to “rescue, rehabilitate, and educate until every dog has a loving home.” In her post, she said the group has “saved more than 85,000 lives since 2008, paired over 200 rescue dogs with veterans, and even provide care for beloved pets when service members are deployed.”
Actress and animal advocate Leesa Rowland also shared scenes from the Mar-a-Lago ballroom, describing the Winter Bark Bash as “a joyful celebration of compassion — complete with music, dancing, and a thrilling live auction that raised major funds for Big Dog Ranch Rescue, whose mission has already saved over 80,000 lives.” She wrote that she was “honored to support a cause that gives them a second chance at life” and said the evening “wagged its tail straight into the heart.”
For Big Dog Ranch Rescue, the night appears to have blended that kind of red-carpet energy with the day-to-day work of a large rescue campus — surgeries, rehab, training, and now boarding for deployed service members’ dogs — all backed by millions in new support and a couple dozen dogs that left the gala with new families instead of returning to the ranch.
Sources: Big Dog Ranch Rescue (Facebook); Jade Alexandra / @lovejadealexandra (Instagram); Leesa Rowland / @realleesarowland (Instagram).
