Wendy Diamond
Discover why Wendy is so passionate about championing the underdog and the causes she puppy loves! Explore educational resources, take action, and find ways to give back through the links below.
Wendy Diamond is
Wendy is a Social Entrepreneur, Impact Investor, Humanitarian, Endangered Animal and Rescue Advocate, World’s Premiere Pet Lifestyle Expert, Best-Selling Author, and TV Personality. She is heralded as a trailblazer in empowering women, impact investing, and animal advocacy, often dubbed the “Martha Stewart of the Milk Bone Dish” by The New Yorker, and crowned the “Canine Queen” by Forbes.
In 1999, after rescuing her first shelter animals—a purebred Russian blue named Pasha and a Maltese named Lucky—Wendy became deeply motivated to help save the 12 million animals euthanized in shelters every year. She founded the premiere pet lifestyle brand, Animal Fair Media, with the spirited mission to inspire and educate the world that adopting any breed, size, age, or color of animal could elevate animal welfare and rescue. Refusing to just sit and roll over, she transformed Animal Fair Media into the leading lifestyle media company specializing in promoting animal welfare and rescue. The rest is herstory; she reined in the leash, worked diligently, and never looked back!
Wendy Diamond's Story
Wendy coined the term “pet-lifestyle” and featured celebrities promoting animal welfare and adoption, pet parenting, pet lifestyle, pet travel, health tips, and pet art. Renée Zellweger appeared on the cover of the premiere issue in 1999, and since then, A-list celebrities including Beyoncé Knowles, Halle Berry, Regis Philbin, Charlize Theron, Pamela Anderson, Ashley Tisdale, Shania Twain, Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, Serena Williams, Kim Cattrall, Matt Leinart, Hilary Duff, Eric McCormack, Kristen Bell, Bo Derek, Diane Lane, Alicia Silverstone, Hayden Panettiere, and LeAnn Rimes have all graced the cover alongside their pets. The New Yorker called Animal Fair “the first to cross-breed two American passions: celebrity and pets.”
Wendy’s Legacy of Animal Advocacy:
Revolutionizing the Pet Industry and Honoring Lucky’s Inspiration
Wendy revolutionized the pet industry by creating premiere pop culture benefits to endorse animal adoption, advocacy, and fundraising, including Yappy Hour® (the term Wendy coined) cocktail parties, the foremost pet celebrity fashion show called Paws For Style®, Howloween, and St Pawtricks Day, all with proceeds benefiting animal rescue. She quickly realized that she could direct her business agenda to promote animal rescue, and she has been doing this ever since! Since the establishment of Animal Fair Media, the number of animals euthanized annually has dropped from an astonishing 12 million to 2 million — but by no means is she stopping there! To this day, organizations across the country and the world alike emulate Wendy/Animal Fair’s events to drive the success of their own organizations in their communities. As a pioneer of the pet industry, Wendy is looked upon as a leader in the animal lifestyle, fairness, welfare, and rescue community. Charities worldwide also mirror Wendy’s pet-lifestyle approach in their fundraising for local community animal organizations.
In her never-ending quest to promote animal welfare, rescue, and the conservation of endangered species, Wendy was motivated by her furry muse, shadow, and inspiration: Lucky. Together, they created a truly unique media mindshare where the marriage of charity and celebrity bolstered animal welfare public awareness. Lucky served as the Katrina Pet Memorial Chair Dog, Barkus Grand Marshall, was inducted into the Guinness World Records, and hosted thousands of fundraisers in her lifetime. She was the only civilian dog admitted into the United Nations, and she was the inspiration for the White House Pet Correspondents Benefit. Lucky’s relationship with Wendy evolved into unconditional love, loyalty, and a genuine bond that inspired her to make a difference in the world by defending animals.
Animal awareness and outreach has always been at the forefront of Wendy’s animal rescue and welfare mission. This hit home when her furry sidekick Lucky, the inspiration and mascot for Animal Fair Media, was diagnosed with canine cancer. After a struggle, Lucky lost her cancer battle and died on June 5th, 2012. Lucky will always be remembered as the furry white ball of inspiration that galvanized an animal-inspired media empire promoting pet welfare and lifestyle! In July 2012, the Humane Society of New York dedicated the Lucky Diamond Critical Care Ward in Lucky’s honor. Through active media mindshare and filming a documentary, Wendy hopes to raise awareness and search for answers to help find conventional and holistic preventions/cures for this fatal canine disease, especially because 1 in 3 dogs will be diagnosed with cancer during their lifetime.
The Humane Society is so grateful to Wendy Diamond and Animal Fair Media for their dedication in protecting and supporting animals. We are proud to honor Wendy and her rescued Maltese sidekick Lucky Diamond, that lost her battle to canine cancer after championing fellow underdogs for years, with the Lucky Diamond Critical Care Unit.
A Serendipitous Bond:
Baby Hope's Arrival and the Celebration of Lucky’s Legacy
Despite life’s many hardships, it can also be absolutely magical in its beautiful spontaneity. Just before Lucky died, a friend asked Wendy to foster a senior dog named Baby Hope. She never planned on keeping the dog at the time, but the little Coton de Tulear, though a little “ruff” around the edges, was paw-sitively heaven sent. The morning Lucky died, Wendy found Baby nestled right up next to Lucky. It was as if they had their own spiritual canine conduit connection. Baby comforted Lucky as she went to the big doggie park in the sky. Wendy decided to adopt Baby after fostering her for three weeks.
The Celebration of Lucky’s Life and Baby Hope’s Wedding event was held at the Essex House on Central Park in New York City on July 12, 2013, garnering a Guinness World Record and aired on TLC’s hit show Cake Boss and Conan O’Brien! Wendy was proud to call herself a “Foster Failure”!
Wendy in the Spotlight:
Championing Animal Welfare Across Media and Beyond
Equipped with a charismatic presence and boundless pet knowledge, Wendy is constantly promoting animal welfare, adoption, and healthy pet lifestyles through her personal and professional Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and various media outlets including; and various media outlets including; Today Show, Good Morning America, FOX News, CNN, The View, E!, MTV, VH1, The New York Times, Vogue, People Magazine, The New Yorker, Oprah, and many others! Wendy created, hosted, and served as the Executive Producer for the NBC pilot Mutt Makeover and the “Paws for Style” special on FOX, wrote and produced the documentary In Search of Puppy Love and starred in the Style Network series Relationship Rehab. Wendy and Lucky were judges on the CBS hit series Greatest American Dog and WE Network’s America’s Cutest Puppy. You can also catch Wendy popping up on Bravo! TV‘s- Real Housewives of New York, Mad Fashion, and on two episodes of TLC’s Cake Boss — episode one with the world’s most expensive cake and our very own Most expensive Pet Wedding in History!
You can't say no to Wendy Diamond and her 'do-the-right-thing' advocacy. That's why she has been such a successful warrior over the years for animals in need -- getting help from everywhere and everyone to make it a better world for them.
How to Train Your Boss to Rollover:
Empowering Veterans and Rescued Dogs Through K9s For Warriors
For Wendy’s latest best-selling book, How To Train Your Boss To Rollover! Wendy interviewed billionaires and industry alpha dogs such as Virgin’s Richard Branson, Spanx’s Sara Blakesley, Patriarch Partners CEO Lynn Tilton, Subway CEO Fred DeLuca, and more to research what “treats” would make them roll over. Craig’s List founder Craig Newmark, who wrote a quote for the book, inspired Wendy to dedicate her book tour to support Veterans with PTSD, with rescued service dogs through K9s For Warriors. ” Not just for dog lovers (including me), How to Train You Boss to Roll Over is a real serious guide to real-world situations in work life. It delivers practical advice that can really make a career difference. I wish I had it thirty years ago.” – Craig Newmark, Founder of Craigslist.
Every 65 minutes a Veteran commits suicide, according to the Department of Veteran Affairs. K9s For Warriors rescues dogs prior to being euthanized and trains them to be service dogs for Veterans with PTSD. Celebrities that supported the nationwide tour to raise awareness and money to bring down this statistic included Glee’s Jane Lynch, Chicago Fire’s David Eigenberg, Taylor Kinney, Joe Minosa, and New Orleans Saints Head Coach Sean Payton. Through the hard work of all involved and the generous contributions of animal lovers across the country, the tour raised over $250,000 connecting 25 veterans suffering from PTSD we service dogs of their own, making a positive impact on countless lives. This program rehabilitates rescue dogs and trains them to be full fledged service dogs.
"It has been my honor to know Wendy Diamond, and a blessing that she has chosen to dedicate herself to helping K9s for warriors. Her passion for our Military Veterans and rescue animals has aided our efforts beyond what we could ever accomplish on our own. Wendy has an infectious gift to bring great people together to support a great cause. Giving back is a rare gift, and Wendy is the ultimate giver. Her efforts are tireless, and her results are amazing. We are blessed to have her on our team, Team K9."
World Records and Honors:
Wendy’s Unparalleled Achievements and Best-Selling Books
Wendy proudly holds 3 Guinness World Records: Lucky Diamond is The Animal Photographed with the Most Celebrities, with 363 celebrities (Lucky’s Barkstory); Baby Hope had the most expensive pet wedding in history, raising money for a wing at the Humane Society of New York, and Wendy herself received a Guinness for the longest curtsey relay in 5 minutes of 314 curtsies. In addition to these world-record-shattering awards, Wendy joined the ranks of former presidents, media icons, humanitarians, and more when she was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. Other recipients include President Bill Clinton, Muhammed Ali, Frank Sinatra, and Rosa Parks. This honor is reserved for accomplished, admired humanitarians who are recognized for their passion and prominence. Thanks to her amazing experiences with her endearing pets, Wendy has penned best-selling books, including: Chicken Soup for the Soul: What I Learned from the Dog, What I Learned from the Cat, My Cat’s Life, My Dog’s Life, How to Understand Men Through Their Dogs, How to Understand Women Through Their Cats, It’s a Dog’s World: The Savvy Guide to Four-Legged Living, and How To Train Your Boss To Rollover.
Wendy proudly holds 3 Guinness World Records: Lucky Diamond is The Animal Photographed with the Most Celebrities, with 363 celebrities (Lucky’s Barkstory); Baby Hope had the most expensive pet wedding in history, raising money for a wing at the Humane Society of New York, and Wendy herself received a Guinness. Wendy continues to extend her wealth of animal and entrepreneurial knowledge, continuing to blaze her trail in the animal kingdom. She serves as a keynote speaker on topics such as animal rescue, endangered animals, pet lifestyle, women’s empowerment in business, and designing your own passionate career at universities and conferences around the world, from Harvard University to the United Nations. In addition to her work for animal rescue and welfare, she’s an avid endangered species advocate, Grand Marshal of Barkus, serves on the Animal Welfare Leadership Council of the Classy Awards, Chairwoman of the Katrina Pet Memorial (Lucky was the Chair Dog), and has authored two Best Selling Cookbooks with Madonna, Aerosmith, and other artists: A Musical Feast and All Star Feast. She also serves on the Board of Advisers for the Ellis Island Honors Society, Grey Muzzle Foundation, Humane Society of New York, and Global Women in Blockchain.
Between 2011 and 2017, Wendy encountered an intense and relentlessly aggressive serial stalker. For years, the stalker sent false and defamatory emails about Wendy to her various business associates and media contacts, hoping to ruin her reputation and career. The cyberbully created over 50 fake anonymous email accounts to stay under the radar while directing ongoing attacks at Wendy. The vengeful stalker is still on the loose, and after researching, Wendy found 10 other victims stalked by the same person. Victims of cyberbullying and media attacks have very little or no legal protection.
This relentless harassment impacted every aspect of Wendy’s life. She was once on the NBC Today show every month, saving a dog a day with her millions of followers, featured on a primetime show on CBS, and raising millions of dollars for animal rescue. Within a year, it all stopped, and 50% of the people she knew never spoke to her again, causing significant emotional and psychological distress.
Although many would see this situation as a hardship, Wendy didn’t let it quell her spirit or career. Instead, it propelled her to fight even harder for the underdog and make a greater positive impact in the world. The turning point came when she decided to stop being a victim and dedicated her life to supporting the impoverished and disadvantaged in starting their entrepreneurial journeys, leading to the creation of the Women’s Entrepreneurship Day Organization (WEDO).
Wendy learned at a young age, after experiencing a personal tragedy, that there is a positive silver lining to everything. Although one might not always realize the benefits immediately from a tragic situation, they may be revealed in one year, five years, or even a decade. When they do appear, they do so as a bright shining triumph, and Wendy is living proof.
In 2013, Wendy was inspired to launch the Women’s Entrepreneurship Day Organization (WEDO)/#ChooseWOMEN after volunteering in Honduras with the Adelante Foundation, an organization that provides microcredit to locally impoverished women. WEDO is a 501(c)(3) all-volunteer grassroots movement that supports women in business globally throughout the year. WEDO works to empower women and girls to become active participants in the economy by igniting a network of women leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs to initiate startups, drive economic expansion, and advance communities worldwide. To achieve this ambitious goal, WEDO builds and catalyzes vital networks of like-minded individuals and organizations that women business leaders need to realize their full potential and change the world.
On November 19th, 2014, she launched Women’s Entrepreneurship Day (WED) at the United Nations, celebrated in 144 countries. New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, and Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney proclaimed Women’s Entrepreneurship Day an official day on November 19th annually. The U.S. House of Representatives annually recognizes the WEDO movement on November 19th as “A Day in Honor of Women Entrepreneurs” under the leadership of Congresswoman Grace Meng.
Overcoming adversity led to Wendy’s personal growth, increased confidence, and the discovery of inner strength. New opportunities emerged, and her relationships deepened. Through this journey, she learned that adversity can be a powerful catalyst for growth; it’s not about the challenges we face, but how we respond to them. Wendy’s story emphasizes that challenges should not define us but serve as stepping stones to a better, stronger, and more resilient life.
The movement includes the #ChooseWOMEN digital campaign to proclaim the Wednesday after Thanksgiving as the day dedicated to choose WOMEN, especially in business or the longest curtsey relay in 5 minutes of 314 curtsies. In addition to these world-record shattering awards, Wendy joined the ranks of former presidents, media icons, humanitarians, and more when she was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. Other recipients include President Bill Clinton, Muhammed Ali, Frank Sinatra, and Rosa Parks, just to name a few. This honor is reserved for accomplished, admired humanitarians who are recognized for their passion and prominence. Thanks to her amazing experiences with her endearing pets, Wendy has penned the best-selling books: Chicken Soup for the Soul: What I Learned from the Dog, What I Learned from the Cat, My Cat’s Life, My Dog’s Life, How to Understand Men Through Their Dogs, How to Understand Women Through Their Cats, It’s a Dog’s World: The Savvy Guide to Four-Legged Living, and How To Train Your Boss To Rollover.
"Wendy Diamond is the most passionate and engaged person I have ever met. She is an incredible leader, a successful entrepreneur, and a highly effective board member. Wendy has such a big heart and always leads by example. Her enthusiasm is infectious, and her commitment to making the world a better place is relentless. I am proud to call her a friend and a colleague."
Wendy's Empowerment Through Adversity and Global Impact
Wendy’s unwavering passion for technology originates from the innovation and positive social impact it will have on the world – to support the UNDERDOG! She actively invests in social impact disruptive technologies and women-led companies/funds including Bidversity, Tooth and Tailz, EFF Ventures, OpenGrants, Producers Market, RISE Wealth Technologies, Waggit, LOOK Lateral Art, CoinFund, IPWE, Trust Circle, IGP Energy, Blocktower Capital, Crescent Capital, Infinigon Group, SAFE Health App, BasePaws, Farma Trust, Breathometer, and SNAKT Video APP.
Amazingly, Diamond also sits on the Advisory Boards of Ellis Island Honors Society, Global Women in Blockchain, Global Alliance For A Sustainable Planet (GASP), World Business Angel Investors, Social Innovation Summit, Humane Society of New York, and Grey Muzzle Foundation.
Wendy continues to extend her wealth of animal and entrepreneurial knowledge, ardently blazing her unique trail in the animal kingdom. She features as a keynote speaker on topics such as animal rescue, endangered animals, pet lifestyle, women’s empowerment in business, and designing a personal and passionate career throughout universities and conferences around the world, from Harvard University to Davos, and the United Nations!
In the next five years, Wendy envisions a movement to establish a universal animal welfare policy in this country, as well as globally. The national initiative would be a comprehensive package that includes; a “No-kill” nation, responsible breeding, FDA stricter regulations on pet food, a national animal rescue and shelter database, and stiffer penalties and punishment for animal cruelty including wildlife, and puppy mills. The bigger-picture goal would be for a worldwide shift in the way humans view animals!
Wendy grew up in the quaint small town of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, studied at Pine Manor College in Boston, and now resides in New York City with her only furry child, Happy Diamond.
“PETS are not chattel, but living and breathing creatures with souls, feelings, and personalities, and should be treated with the utmost respect.” – Wendy Diamond
Diamond is a powerful tool to help you up your game by being more like someone everyone loves: your dog. No animal is more successful than the modern dog. Diamond epitomizes the secret to success and translates it unto others.