A nationally known dog rescue group based out of South Florida said they are seeing donations hurt after an article tied the group to locations owned by former President Donald Trump.
The president of Big Dog Rescue Ranch, based out of Loxahatchee Groves, told NBC affiliate WPTV -TV the report from the Huffington Post linked the group to Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara, and also mentioned fundraisers held at Mar-a-Lago and two other clubs in Palm Beach County.
"I'm just shocked somebody could stoop so low to do harm to a rescue that did so much work," Lauree Simmons said. "They give us amazing discounted rates, they provide a beautiful venue for us and have gone out of their way to help us raise money. To cancel our event there, that would be political."
Simmons said the group has received obscene calls since the story was published and one donor withdrew a pledge of $100,000.
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A spokesperson for Buzzfeed, which owns Huffington Post, told the station that "Ms. Simmons still has not disputed to HuffPost that Big Dog Ranch Rescue has spent as much as $1.9 million at Mar-a-Lago over the last seven years. … We stand unequivocally behind (the author's) reporting."
Simmons said half the money spent on fundraisers went to properties owned by Trump and she is considering a lawsuit, saying the story hurt the group’s ability to raise money.
