Cyber Monday! 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 now 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!

SPECIAL ONE-DAY-ONLY OFFER!

Christine J. Head’s limited edition, highly stylized vintage/Art Nouveau-style prints and posters have helped numerous rescues raise much needed funds. Notable animal lovers and celebrities who collect her work include actresses Jorja Fox and Mary Steenburgen, and Comedienne Elayne Boosler.

Now, you can BUY ONE, GET ONE 1/2 PRICE through midnight Monday 11/30!

Available breeds include Boxer, Golden Retriever, Labrador Retriever, Pug, Greyhound, Pit Bull and introducing...Cat & Kitten Rescue.

For details and to view available prints, please visit: http://www.pbrc.net/shop/posters_cjh.html

PBRC receives 50% of proceeds. Order now to insure holiday delivery.

Thank you!

Yesterday was a day for everyone to spend time with their loved ones and give thanks. For many of the dogs from nation's largest multi-state federal dog fighting raid in history there's a lot to be thankful for. They will no longer be forced to live their lives out on heavy chains, they will not need to fight for their lives, produce puppies for someone's personal gain or live in pain, with untreated wounds. For the first time in their lives they are being shown the compassion every living creature deserves.

So it seems fitting that today, PBRC was able to make a donation to Mutts-N-Stuff, through the PBRC St. Louis Second Chance Fund to assist with the cost of Fay’s first surgery. Fay arrived at the St. Louis temporary shelter missing her lips, most likely torn off in a dog fight. Seeing Fay for the first time was tough, she is the true face of dog fighting and living proof that our society has a long way to go. The hardest part of meeting Fay was how sweet she was. Seeing a dog who’s face has been mutilated for someone’s personal gain wiggling around in her crate, sticking her tongue out to try to lick your hand. It’s enough to make your heart break in two.

Fay has been under the care of her veterinarian, recovering at the clinic so they can keep an eye on her skin grafts and stitches but today she is in the loving care of her rescuer, Gale, for the holidays. This is the start of a new life for her and for so many others and we’re thankful to every person involved in helping the victims of dog fighting.

We are also thankful to our supportive donors who made the PBRC St. Louis Second Chance Fund possible. It has been a true gift to have the opportunity to support the rescues who have come forward to help these dogs. We hope there comes a day soon, when we can sit down and be thankful that dog fighting is a thing of the past.

(Fay's mouth has been bandaged to prevent her from opening her mouth too wide and tearing her stitches.)

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

Meet Shark Boy and Lava Girl. They are two of the many faces of dog fighting. They were seized along with Junior and hundreds of other dogs in the nation's largest multi-state federal dog fighting raid in history. Shark Boy and Lava Girl are some of the lucky ones who get 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 "Shark Boys" and "Lava Girls" 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

New Beginnings

For many of the Missouri dogs going to foster or adoptive homes the future is about new beginnings. For the first time in their lives they can be a cherished member of someone's family and have a warm safe place to sleep at night.

Over time, they will adapt to their new lives but for now there are many firsts to be experienced. Having the opportunity to watch a dog make the transformation from living on a chain to having a real life can be rewarding but it’s heartbreaking as well. With every new experience comes the realization that they have never had the opportunity, until now, to experience it.



Playing with a toy, walking up a flight of stairs, going for a walk on a leash, living inside (and going to the bathroom outside) these are all new things to these dogs. They are incredible animals and they learn but it’s the hard work of the caring people that take them in that allows them to learn all of experience all these new things.

It takes patience to teach a dog that the table is not a look out and isn’t for standing on, that if they sit still the collar will go on faster and they can get outside and that they have the rest of their lives to give love and be thankful--they don’t need to do it all at once.

Thank you to every person that opened your home and hearts to these dogs who desperately needed a second chance. To the groups and individuals who drove long hours to get them to their foster homes and to the Humane Society of Missouri who made this all possible.

It takes a village.

Vintage Style Posters by Christine J. Head

Introducing...

2009 Orange Kittini
Cheers to Kitty Rescue

• Limited to 1000
• Posters measure 24"x36"
• ALL posters have a 1" white border.
• Each poster is hand signed and numbered by the artist!

Price: $95 + shipping
Comes rolled in tube.
50% of proceeds go to PBRC!

Click here to order online!

To order by mail, send check or money order to:

Pit Bull Rescue Central
PO Box 335
Fulton, MO 65251

Include a note identifying which poster(s) you're ordering and what quantity. Posters are USD $95 each. Add $5 shipping per poster for U.S. orders; $11 shipping per poster for Canadian orders; $20 shipping per poster for all other international orders.

Note that mail orders can take several weeks as checks need to clear first. For faster service, we recommend using the credit card option.

More Christine Head posters available. Click here!

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