Katherine Heigl Releases Statement After Attending Dog Rescue Event at Trump's Mar-a-Lago: 'Animals Don't Vote'

Katherine Heigl has released a statement about her participation at an event held at Donald Trump‘s Mar-a-Lago.

The former Grey’s Anatomy star, who portrayed fan favorite character Izzie Stevens on the series, attended the Wine, Women & Shoes Benefiting Big Dog Ranch Rescue event over the weekend at the Palm Beach, Fla. location. As the event took place at Trump‘s resort, his daughter-in-law Lara Trump was in attendance, as well as former Fox News co-host Jeanine Pirro. Katherine had not appeared at a public event in two years, prompting this appearance to make a lot of headlines.

As a result of this association with Trump, Katherine has released a statement about her attendance.

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Katherine told Just Jared, “Animals don’t vote. The only room they don’t like is the euthanasia room at a shelter. They are completely at the mercy of us, and they have no voice of their own. This event was about animal advocacy—something that has always been deeply personal to me. Anyone who knows me knows that protecting animals is one of my greatest passions. My mother, Nancy, and I have spent years advocating for animals through the Jason Heigl Foundation. As a society, we should all come together to protect the voiceless and the innocent. This should not be a polarizing issue. Thanks to the incredible generosity of everyone involved, this event raised over $5 million to help animals in need—especially those who have been abused or neglected. I’m so grateful to everyone who showed up, supported, and continues to stand up for those who can’t speak for themselves.”

Katherine previously spoke about the event.

“Our biggest goal right now really is to diminish the number of unwanted litters coming into this country, which is what is overcrowding our shelters,” Katherine told the Palm Beach Post. “We hear the word ‘shelter,’ and we think these animals are safe there, and they are not. It’s not the shelter’s fault, and it’s not the fault of the shelters’ workers. It’s that our country is overrun with puppy-mill breeders.”