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.

From the ASPCA - Halloween Safety Tips

No Scaredy Cats This Halloween: Top 10 Safety Tips for Pet Parents

Attention, companion animal caretakers! The ASPCA would like to point out these common-sense cautions that’ll help keep your pets safe and stress-free this time of year. If you do suspect your pet has ingested a potentially dangerous substance, please call your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435.

1. No tricks, no treats: That bowlful of candy is for trick-or-treaters, not for Scruffy and Fluffy.

• Chocolate in all forms—especially dark or baking chocolate—can be very dangerous for dogs and cats. Symptoms of significant chocolate ingestion may include vomiting, diarrhea, hyperactivity, increased thirst, urination and heart rate—and even seizures.
  
  
• Candies containing the artificial sweetener xylitol can be poisonous to dogs. Even small amounts of xylitol sweetener can cause a sudden drop in blood sugar, which leads to depression, lack of coordination and seizures. In cases of significantly low blood sugar, liver failure has been known to occur.
  
  
• Ingesting tin foil and cellophane candy wrappers can pose a choking hazard or cause intestinal blockage.

2. Popular Halloween plants such as pumpkins and decorative corn are considered to be relatively nontoxic, yet they can produce gastrointestinal upset should pets ingest them. Intestinal blockage could even occur if large pieces are swallowed.

3. Keep wires and cords from electric lights and other decorations out of reach of your pets. If chewed, your pet could experience damage to his mouth from shards of glass or plastic, or receive a possibly life-threatening electrical shock.

4. A carved pumpkin certainly is festive, but do exercise extreme caution if you choose to add a candle. Pets can easily knock a lit pumpkin over and cause a fire. Curious kittens especially run the risk of getting burned or singed by candle flames.

5. Dress-up can be a big mess-up for some pets. Please don't put your dog or cat in a costume UNLESS you know he or she loves it (yup, a few pets are real hams!). For pets who prefer their “birthday suits,” however, wearing a costume can cause undue stress.

6. If you do dress up your pet, make sure the costume isn't annoying or unsafe. It should not constrict the animal's movement or hearing, or impede his ability to breathe, bark or meow. Also try on costumes before the big night. If your pet seems distressed, allergic or shows abnormal behavior, consider letting him go au naturale or donning a festive bandana.

7. Take a closer look at your pet’s costume and make sure it does not have small, dangling or easily chewed-off pieces that he could choke on. Also, ill-fitting outfits can get twisted on external objects or your pet, leading to injury.

8. All but the most social dogs and cats should be kept in a separate room away from the front door during peak trick-or-treat visiting hours. Too many strangers can be scary and stressful for pets.

9. When opening the door for trick-or-treaters, take care that your cat or dog doesn't dart outside.

10. IDs, please! Always make sure your dog or cat has proper identification. If for any reason your pet escapes and becomes lost, a collar and tags and/or a microchip can increase the chances that he or she will be returned to you

National Pit Bull Awareness Day!

In celebration of National Pitbull Awareness Day, PBRC has created a special page to share some positive pitbull stories.

Please visit the link below to meet some of the dogs PBRC has helped over the last year, breed ambassadors that are showing people in their community just how wonderful pitbulls are, some lucky dogs who recently found their forever homes and plenty of great links!

http://www.pbrc.net/npad.html

We're also introducing two special designs created for National Pitbull Awareness Day:

Great for T-shirts, water bottles, bags, mugs and much much more! Help support PBRC buy purchasing your National Pitbull Awareness Day items at our store:

http://www.cafepress.com/pbrcstore/6910133

Thank you for your continued support!
The Volunteers of PBRC

P.S. Feel free to crosspost this message!

PBRC's 4th Annual Howl-o-ween Photo Contest!

On Halloween, it is believed that spirits and ghosts come back to roam the earth. People wear masks and dress up in an outfit to look like one of the spirits. Who can dress up better than a pit bull? In the spirit of goblin fun, we’re thrilled to present PBRC's 4th Annual Howl-o-ween Photo Contest.

Please submit your photos no later than October 28, 2009.

One photo per dog only, please, and don't forget to include your name, your dog's name and your email address. Contest entries limited to pit bull dogs.

Send your ghosts and goblins to pbrccontest@gmail.com

Once all pictures are received they will be put into a gallery Halloween Hound Gallery for all to see and vote on. Prizes will be awarded to the first, second and third place winners on Halloween!

Good luck and may the best bully costume win!

See last year's winners and contestants here.

Limited Edition St. Louis Second Chance Fund T-Shirt!

Meet Fanny. She is another face of dog fighting. Fanny was seized along with Junior and hundreds of other dogs in the nation's largest multi-state federal dog fighting raid in history. Fanny is one of the lucky ones who gets a second chance. Several organizations, including PBRC, have assisted the Humane Society of Missouri (HSMO) in caring for these dogs in a temporary emergency shelter.

Now that some of the dogs have been released by the courts, the time has finally come for them to be placed with rescue groups for further evaluation and adoption. As you know, Pit Bull Rescue Central (PBRC) has established the PBRC St. Louis Second Chance Fund.

This fund will help the approved organizations and individuals with some of the financial costs related to the rehoming of these dogs. Rehoming any dog at any time can be a costly matter. Many of these dogs may require treatment for various medical conditions. PBRC wants to help these dogs get their second chance.

We need your support. Please help us help all the "Fannys" get their second chance, too. PBRC has created a special edition PBRC St. Louis Second Chance Fund T-shirt that is now available. Proceeds from this t-shirt will go to the PBRC St. Louis Second Chance Fund.

To order a t-shirt visit: http://www.pbrc.net/scf.html

Organizations seeking financial aid related to the care of these dogs can complete an application here: http://www.pbrc.us/fcapps/StLouisfund.html

PBRC Special Request

Please help the victims of dog fighting – today!

Meet Junior. He is the face of dog fighting-- one of the lucky ones, that is. Junior was seized, along with hundreds of other dogs, in the nation's largest multi-state federal dog fighting raid in history. Junior gets a second chance.

Over the last few months, several organizations, including PBRC, have assisted the Humane Society of Missouri (HSMO) in caring for these dogs in a temporary emergency shelter. Now that some of the dogs have been released by the courts, the time has finally come for them to be placed with rescue groups for further evaluation and adoption. The HSMO has worked diligently to locate responsible, knowledgeable, established animal welfare organizations to help find loving homes for these dogs-- all the "Juniors" who very much deserve a place in someone's heart and home.

To assist in their endeavor, Pit Bull Rescue Central (PBRC) has established the PBRC St. Louis Second Chance Fund. This fund will help the approved organizations and individuals with some of the financial costs related to the rehoming of these dogs. Rehoming any dog at any time can be a costly matter. Many of these dogs may require treatment for various medical conditions. PBRC wants to help these dogs get their second chance.

For us to do that, we will need your support. Please help us help all the "Juniors" get their second chance, too.

To make a donation please click on the link below: http://www.pbrc.net/donate.html

When donating please be sure to indicate in the note field that your donation is specifically for the PBRC St. Louis Second Chance Fund.

Organizations seeking financial aid related to the care of these dogs can complete an application here: http://www.pbrc.us/fcapps/fcapplication03.html

Pit Bull Rescue Central (PBRC, founded in 1996) is an online virtual shelter and educational resource for owners, rescuers, and shelters dedicated to the American Pit Bull Terrier, the American Staffordshire Terrier and pit bull mixes. PBRC works tirelessly to promote spaying and neutering, to educate the public, to present positive pit bull images, and encourage responsible pit bull ownership.

We also provide a free listing directory of adoptable pit bulls, adoption application and review process to help find these great dogs’ responsible permanent homes. For caregivers who don’t have experience with placing pit bulls our application review process is invaluable. We extend our expert knowledge of the bully breeds to assist them in placing the dogs in a safe environment with responsible owners. P.S. Feel free to crosspost this message

So why do you still go back? He is why...

So it has been three months now since the largest dog fighting bust in history happened essentially right in my back yard. More then 450 Pit Bulls have been housed by the Humane Society of Missouri for 90 days. 90 days, can you imagine having to care for 450 Pit Bulls for 90 days ?? Let me tell you, it has been no easy task.

Volunteers and staff have poured their hearts and souls into these dogs giving them what they could, making their time the best with what they have been dealt. Hundreds of peanut butter filled kongs handed out daily, hundreds of milk bones passed out amongst the crowds and thousands of Pit Bull kisses dealt out to anyone who has time to stop and get em, always a wiggle butt to be seen. Many have a story to tell with their eyes, many just want to know the love that they have forever longed for.

This has been a trial of the heart and body. Day after day you go in and spend as much time as physically possible only to say goodbye to your favorites not knowing what tomorrow will bring, when their fate will finally be decided. Your friends, family and coworkers tell you to take a break, you need to take it easy, but they are forever on our mind. You try and do the best you can while balancing your life but they are always in your thoughts, you can see them even when you are not there, you can see their eyes.

Many tears have been shed, many promises have been made if only our favorite fourleggeds could be allowed to come home. Waiting and more waiting, just waiting to hear something that says our dogs are safe, you can take them home, you can give them the life they SO deserve. You can take them home to decompress and start to heal from everything life has thrown at them... just waiting to hear something.

Finally, something... Sweet Baby James was released to come home. James has been a favorite from the beginning, a kind old soul that is very deserving of a couch to lay on and someone to love him til the day he dies. Well, he finally has that. James has become Junior as there will only be one James in our lives, but I think my RJ would approve.

This boy is lucky, he has two families fighting to love him, not very many dogs can say that and definitely not many Pit Bulls.

So here he is, JR in all his glory... able to live life as a loved family companion, not a gladiator on the end of a chain.

He is why I kept going, and the many others are why I will continue. Some day this will be over, many tears will be shed and many lives will be changed, but JR's will be for the better.

~ Teal

National Pit Bull Awareness Day 2009

And what will you be doing on October 24, 2009 to help our favorite dog? Click here to find a listing of events.

Click here to purchase t-shirts and more to celebrate the American Pit Bull Terrier.