The why and how of pit bull rescue


Posted on Feb 28, 2008
By Julia Szabo

Comments(1) In animal shelters across this country, pit bulls constitute by far the largest percentage of adoptable dogs. The trouble is, because of their "vicious" reputation, gentle, family-friendly pit bulls are most often the last to be adopted. Most never make it out of the shelter.
 
It's a vicious cycle, but thanks to dedicated rescue groups, many people are working tirelessly to raise awareness of pits as great pets. One of them is star chef Rachael Ray, who adores her own pet pit bull, Isaboo, and is devoting a segment of tomorrow's show to the admirable rescue and education efforts of California's cleverly-named BADRAP - the acronym for Bay Area Dog Lovers Responsible About Pit Bulls.
 
Another is best-selling author Ken Foster, who devotes a lot of space on his blog to pit bull advocacy - when he's not caring for his own pet pits.
 
If you're interested in adopting or fostering a shelter pit, or donating money to help rescuers defray the high cost of pit bull rescue, rest assured that there's a worthy group or groups needing help right in your neighborhood, so it's easy to think glo-bully and act locally. One way to find these organizations is by contacting your local animal shelter or doing a Google search. Another excellent resource is the online Pit Bull Rescue Network.
 
On the East Coast, there are many such worthy groups, including Animal Farm Foundation, Out of the Pits, Stray From the Heart, and Bobbi and the Strays, temporary home of a smiling little pit gal named Tickles (that's her in the photo).
 
Two excellent shelters that are constantly crowded with adorable pits are the Yonkers Animal Shelter and Bergen County Animal Shelter.
 
And, in a fine example of rescue groups banding together to help in the pit bull overpopulation crisis, groups devoted to other breeds are expanding their focus to include pit advocacy as well, such as Julie Johnson of Johnson's Mostly Mastiffs  Menagerie Rescued Canines Sanctuary in Pennsylvania.
 
If you haven't got room in your animal house for a bully, another way to support the pit bull rescue effort is by purchasing a benefit calendar such as The Unexpected Pit Bull. Produced by the Liberty Humane Society, this 12-month calendar showcases photographic evidence of pit bulls doing the unthinkable - like, cuddling sweetly with kids - and all profits from sales go to the pit bull rescue efforts of Liberty Humane.
 
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Comments
10 Paws/Stars Up for Julia Szabo - YOU ROCK!!! Good Morning All. I know some of you received a couple of different emails in the last week from me & others on the plight of a couple of Pit Bulls in different shelters. We see these emails daily...and with each one, my heart aches because there are so very many needy Pit Bulls and so very few good homes for them. This is one of my all-time favorite breeds, and with each email I always am hoping, wishing that I can find more ways, more people, more information to help them out. This week, my prayers were answered. The other day I received an email from Jonathon Bozak & his dog Demo, who wrote the book "Demo: the Story of a Junkyard Dog " who sends out emails periodically with news of the gaining popularity and availability of this wonderful book as well as updates in the Pit Bull Advocacy World. With that said, Jonathon's email just happened to coincide with the same day as the receipt of the last Pit Bull SOS email of the pretty little black & white pregnant one at Trumball County Shelter in OH. Julia Szabo of the NY Post and Fetchdog.com had contacted Jonathon about it being deemed Pit Bull Week at Fetchdog.com I went out on the internet looking for more information about Julia out of curiosity, as Jonathon mentions her frequently and her love & outspoken advocacy for Pit Bulls, and found one article in particular talking about Julia doing dog rescue...Pit Bull Rescue. With that said and being desperate for help for these 2 Pit Bulls and so many others, I took the moment to email Julia about Phoenix the Rednose Pit Bull girl in the NYC shelter that was so depressed from the confinement that she'd now barely pick up her head - a face that I will never get out of my mind, and then the little b/w pregnant girl in the Trumball Co. Ohio Shelter - a high kill shelter knowing her chances of getting out alive are slim to none, asking if she could help assist these dogs in anyway...whether that be herself or any other contacts she might have in the Pit Bull Rescue world. Julia Szabo was kind enough to email me back a couple of times after that, and this morning I received a link to her blog on Fetchdog.com with lots of information on help for the plight of the Pit Bulls. I am gratefully sharing this link with you feeling strongly that we now have a roadmap of solid help in aiding needy Pit Bulls...that have come with a national reference. You know how hard it is trying to find trustworthy, legitimate, safe & proper help for Pit Bulls in need. I feel most confident now that we have just been given this gift of assistance to know now who is safe/helpful to contact. I can't begin to tell you how happy and relieved I am. The fight for the Pit Bull, this undeniably incredible breed, will always be a tough one, but if we all take the time to do a little, each one of us, a lot of good can be done. http://www.fetchdog.com/blogs/nosetotheground/General/the_why_and_how_of I have to say, I got a bit of a surprise when I read this today, as it came quite unexpected but a delight just the same. You'll see when you read this...but the same, this is all about helping our beloved Pit Bulls. I also encourage you to pick up a copy of Jonathon & Demo's book. This is one of my favorites. It's a wonderful story, and so worth sharing to young & old alike. Every child should grow up reading the story to have planted in their minds love & admiration for the Pit Bull rather than fear and ignorance. http://www.demo-dog.com/childrens-book-story.html Jonathon's site is also a wealth of information on the Pit Bull and Pit Bull Advocacy World. http://www.demo-dog.com/positive-pit-bull-links.html I encourage everyone to check out Julia's Fetchdog.com blog articles, any of her works (as she's also the author of many dog books) and Jonathon's website & book. To snag a line from Julia's blog on what we can do to help the plight of Pit Bulls, which I think is priceless, "Think glo-bully and act locally!" My heartfelt thanks to Julia and Jonathon both...for their outspoken advocacy for Pit Bulls and all they do for dogs/humans everywhere. Sincerely, julie & crew Julie Johnson JOHNSON'S MOSTLY MASTIFFS MENAGERIE RESCUED CANINES SANCTUARY Helping change the world, one life at a time.
Posted By Julie
on Feb 29, 2008
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