Gift Ideas for Holiday Shopping - Support PBRC!

Do you want to make a difference this holiday season? Would you like to give your friends and family beautiful, unique handcrafted gifts? Well, you can do all of this and more by participating in our new fundraiser with NOVICA. Not only will your purchase help pit bulls, but you will also support artists and artisans around the world. By partnering with NOVICA, a fair trade company, we have the opportunity to impact lives across the globe by purchasing handcrafted treasures directly from the artists and artisans who make them. In return NOVICA will donate 30% of all items purchased through our Gift Collection and 10% from any of the thousands of other items throughout their site to Pit Bull Rescue Central.

This fundraiser will only run for a limited time - from Wednesday, November 25, 2009 through Sunday, January 3, 2010.

We encourage you to click the Novica image below to start shopping and make a difference:
For purely pit bull related gift ideas, visit our CafePress PBRC Store! From coffee mugs to BBQ aprons to kids' t-shirts... as well as holiday ornaments and cards, there's a pit bull related design and gift idea for every dog lover on your gift list.
Also, remember PBRC's 2010 Happy Endings Calendar is now on sale! It's a 12-month calendar brimming with pictures of beautiful rescued pitbulls of all shapes, sizes, and colors! You can order your copy of the 2010 calendar by clicking on the link just above or the image below: All of the proceeds from the sale of the calendars (and any products from CafePress) are used to help pitbulls in need. Please don't miss out on this great opportunity to fill your 2010 with beautiful rescued dogs while helping pitbulls still waiting for their happy endings at the same time!

Thanks for your continued support,
~The Volunteers of PBRC

P.S. Feel free to crosspost this message!

Pauline's Road to Recovery

When Kelly first saw Pauline in the distance while out walking her dogs, she wasn't sure it was a dog she was seeing. Pauline was malnourished, hairless, had a heavy chain attached to her neck and was barely moving. Kelly brought her dogs home and returned to give Pauline some food and water and then brought her to the vet.

The plan was to locate a responsible rescue to take Pauline once she was healthy. The problem was, all the rescues in and around Kelly's area were either full or did not rescue pitbulls. Kelly was committed to finding Pauline the best possible home since she'd had such a rough start. It was clear from the beginning that Kelly was attached to Pauline, so as many foster stories go, Pauline has found her forever home..with Kelly.

She has made a full recovery and is doing great. Pauline inspired Kelly to help more pitbulls in need and has been happy to share her new home with the rescue dogs who have come to stay for a while. Pauline may not have had the best beginning but that's one of the amazing things about dogs, they don't live in the past-they live in the present.

And right now things are pretty darn good: Thank you Kelly!

Almost Every Weekend...

Almost every weekend a group of 6 Pit Bulls and their owners gather at the Western Pa Humane Society.

These responsible owners and their dogs attend the Bully Ambassador Class. This 7 week long program is designed to help strengthen the bond between owners and their dogs, keep Pit Bulls out of the shelter system due to behavior problems, teach the dogs obedience work using positive training methods and help to change the negative perceptions about Pit Bulls from the general public and media.

The classes are filled quickly showing how dedicated Pit Bull owners can be. Dogs in the class learn new things such as looking at other dogs and then checking back in with their owners. They also fine tune old skills, like loose leash walking, sit, down, stay, etc.

No choke or prong collars are allowed in class. Owners may use training tools such as no pull harnesses and gentle leaders. Many owners simply use flat buckle collars or martingale collars.

The class was developed a year ago and has continued on, due to such a high rate of enrollment. Upon graduation, each dog and owner receive a diploma stating that their dog is a breed ambassador.

~Amy D

One Volunteer's Favorite Part

Being a volunteer for a pit bull rescue organization can be tough. There are days when you feel discouraged, frustrated or helpless. You remind yourself "you can't help them all" and you try to look to the positive. Then when you see the positive you realize how lucky you are to be a part of something so special. Without question my favorite part of volunteering for PBRC is the updates. It reminds us all just how important the small difference we make can mean to one person, or one dog. Thanks for reminding us Kelly:

I wanted to give you an update on Zeus, a pit that PBRC sponsored. He never found a new adoptive home, but we did end up keeping him. He weighed 34 pounds when we found him last November, and he weighed 97 healthy pounds last week at the vet. He is a massive dog. He is heartworm free, and lives peacefully with his 2 new sisters. We just got back from a Dallas vacation with all 3 dogs. He had a blast. Here are a couple of pictures of him at the lake and one of him at their birthday party on October 4th. We decided that his birthday would be the same day as his sister's. Thank you so much for saving this guy, he's doing great, and has a great personality.

Update on Kiva, one of the Missouri 500

Kiva has been in her new home for about three weeks now. It has truly been a learning experience for both of us. She has so many ‘firsts’ I can’t even count them. Her first time in a house, first soft pillow to sleep on, first couch to sleep on, first snuggle with a person, first kitty friends, first dog friends, first yard to run in with no chains, first bath, first toys and the experiences go on and on.

For me it’s been a learning experience to see that absolutely everything is new to her! Simple things such as opening doors or cabinets in the house leave her in awe. Opening the dishwasher door really freaked her out and forget the washer and dryer!

Her resilience is a constant surprise to me as well. She bears a few scars on her jaw, chest, shoulders and front legs that suggest that she’s been in at least one fight before she started pumping out the puppies, yet when she plays with my dogs she has such a gentle mouth and great bite inhibition. She loves to wrestle and play rough as most pit bulls do, but she never gets too aroused and will stop the moment the boys do or I call them for a break.

Lots of things still startle her, but she recovers very quickly and is always curious to check things out; a true testament to a solid pit bull temperament.

She’s started clicker training with me, another first, and is catching on quickly. Whoever gets to be her forever home is going to get one heck of a good girl!

~ Amanda C.

Kolby’s Progress- An update on one of the Missouri 500

Kolby is beginning to adjust to his new world. It has been about 2 weeks since Hello Bully brought him back to Pittsburgh after volunteering with the Missouri dogs.

To a dog that had probably never lived inside of a home, there are many new things to experience. Kolby is learning crucial information such as: ceiling fans are not the devil, couches are not chew toys, and computer desks are not meant to be jumped upon and used as look out areas (even if they are close to the window!)

One of the wonderful things about watching Kolby come out of his shell is his curiosity about EVERYTHING! He is fascinated while on walks by little things, such as a bag of garbage. Allowing him to sniff and check things out proves to him that the world is not such a scary place after all!

Kolby is having a blast playing with toys and exercising. He loves to play with balls. He definitely is still getting the hang of the whole physical coordination thing.

Kolby also has some learning to do regarding “doggie etiquette”! He is learning that even though dogs communicate with their mouths, it is not how to get attention from us humans. Even though Kolby has a lot to learn, he has come very far in such a short period of time.

~ AmyD, Hello Bully

IT'S TIME TO VOTE! 4th Annual Howl-o-ween Photo Contest!

Ghosts and goblins gather 'round, The spookiest bully will soon be found.
Enter the costume contest and you may be crowned...
PBRC's 2009 Howl-o-ween Hound!

Over 100 festooned fidos await your vote. To see all entrants and make your selection, visit the Halloween Hound Gallery. Click on the arrow to start the slideshow.

Send the corresponding number of your favorite photo to
pbrccontest@pbrc.net

Voting begins on Thursday, October 29th at midnight (EST). NOTE: Votes received prior to that will not be included in the count. You have until 9pm (EST) on Friday, October 30th to cast your vote. Only 1 vote per person/email address will be accepted.

The three photos with the most votes will be announced and posted on Halloween. Prize winners will be contacted by email.

Thank you for your participation! See last year's winners and contestants here.