Hello Bully’s annual Lovers Not Fighter Gala

On Saturday, Feburary 20th 2010, over 300 Pit Bull owners and advocates gathered for Hello Bully’s annual Lovers Not Fighters Gala in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The proceeds of the gala help fund Hello Bully’s education programs and Pit Fix Plus, a free spay neuter and vaccination program for locally owned Pit Bulls. This year the event raised $21,000 for this worthy cause.

The event included many raffle items and a live auction with prizes such as art, jewelry, dog collars, a vacation and many other exciting prizes. All items were generously donated and the bidding competition was fierce!

Special guest speakers included: Florence Biros, author of the book Dog Jack, and Tracy Doyle, owner of a deaf dog named Piglet. Piglet is the Pit Bull star of the soon to be released movie based on Florence’s book.. The founder of Hello Bully, Daisy Baldawedjer, addressed the audience and explained the mission of Hello Bully. She spoke of the importance of spay/neuter and education.

Another guest speaker, Teal Erickson from Broken Heart Mended Souls rescue, presented about her experiences working with the "MO 500." "The MO 500" is group of dogs confiscated from the world’s largest federal dog fighting bust in history. Broken Hearts Mended Souls is one of the organizations who played a crucial role in the evaluation, placement, and happy endings that many of these former bust dogs are now experiencing.

All of the speakers made an impact on the audience of bully lovers, and Piglet was happy to pose for photos with her adoring crowd.

One of the "MO 500" dogs, Kolby, made a special guest appearance. Kolby greeted guests at the entrance in his finest apparel, a doggie tuxedo! Kolby was a dog that Hello Bully had available for adoption. The week before the gala, Kolby found his forever home, but that did not stop him from making an appearance and greeting everyone with kisses! Kolby showed everyone who arrived that a solid Pit Bull temperament cannot be broken even when the dog has experienced a horrendous past.

Everyone at the event enjoyed mingling with fellow Pit Bull enthusiasts. The event is held every February and the turnout continues to grow each year. The hard work of the Hello Bully volunteers, guest speakers, kind public donations and turnout, made this event a success.