PBRC and Doggone Good!

PBRC and Doggone Good! are hosting an online fundraiser and you are invited!

We are teaming up to hold an online fundraiser to aid this organization. Shop through the link below during the event dates and 10-20% of sales will be donated to the organization.

The more you shop, the more you help dogs!

Monday April 19th through Sunday April 25th

Note you must use this special link to have your sales count!

CLICK HERE TO START SHOPPING

Fundraisers are held concurrent with normal store business. Because we can’t predict demand or stock at any given time, we offer some features for fundraisers to help maximize your shopping experience.

Special Order Items: Our store normally sells only what is in stock, but for fundraisers, some products will be offered as Special Order. You can order any quantity of the items you want, as we place the order after the event is finished. These orders take 3-4 weeks to ship.

Rainchecks: We will allow a Raincheck request for regular store merchandise that is out of stock. If the item is re-stocked within 60 days, the store will email you a link to place your order. Your entire return shopping trip will count toward the fundraiser total.

If you have any questions, please contact office@doggonegood.com or fundraising@pbrc.net

Notes for a Furry Friday...

OPERATION PIT STOP!
Sat. April 24th and Sun. April 25, Los Angeles

Clinico is running Operation Pit Stop at their Harbor/San Pedro clinic. Help them in their mission to reduce the overpopulation of Pit/Pit Mix dogs in shelters! They will be offering $30 spay or neuter surgeries for Pit Bull/Pit Mix Dogs, by appointment only.

Call (310) 241-0768 to make an appointment!

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Happy Endings Calendar 2011 Photo Submission

Have you ever envisioned your rescued pit bull gracing the pages of a calendar? Does your pup have good looks, charm, a touching story, or really cute costumes? If so, here is your chance to make your dreams a reality and share your rescued pit bull with the world!

We are opening submissions for PBRC's 2011 Happy Endings Calendar. An annual tradition since 2002, our Happy Endings Calendar is full of accurate breed information, heart-warming rescue stories and 12 months of GREAT color pictures of rescued pit bulls! We are accepting pictures now through July 1st, 2010.

All the information you need regarding type of photo, submission, cost, etc. can be found here: http://www.pbrc.net/shop/photosubmit11.html

Remember that all the proceeds from the photo submissions, as well as the sale of the calendars, are used to help pitbulls in need. Don't miss out on this fantastic opportunity to have your furry friend be a pin-up, and to help others in need!

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Become a fan on Facebook!
~ Click here! ~

Have You Voted for Gunny's Rescue Today?

North Mecklenburg Animal Rescue (NMAR)is a very special, Pitbull-loving rescue group who needs all the help they can get...and helping is easy! NMAR has been selected for the Pepsi Refresh program, and is in the running for a FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLAR GRANT!

To earn that grant, they need votes. The Top 10 vote-receiving proposals will EACH receive a $50,000 donation from Pepsi. NMAR's proposal is for building a permanent shelter for the dogs. They are still recovering from a 2008 flood that forced them to relocate.

You may remember NMAR from the story of their rescue and rehabilitation of Gunny, a rescued bait dog turned pitbull ambassador. To read more of Gunny's amazing journey and list of accomplishments, visit his blog http://www.northmecklenburganimalrescue.org/Gunny/
and his Facebook page
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gunny/244721692108?v=wall

Please vote EVERY DAY until midnight on April 30th. To vote, visit
http://www.refresheverything.com/northmecklenburganimalrescue

It is critical that word continues to spread, and votes continue to be cast in order for NMAR to continue to be able to save and shelter dogs like Gunny. In addition to voting, NMAR asks that you consider telling your family and friends, posting to your Facebook pages, and informing local rescue groups and community service groups. If you contact NMAR by email, they can also provide you with fliers to post and cards to leave in high traffic areas. nmeckanimalrescue@yahoo.com

Here are a few pointers on the voting process:

Go to http://www.refresheverything.com/northmecklenburganimalrescue

Click "vote now" and a screen will pop up for you to put in your info. Click "sign in".

You are taken back to the voting page for NMAR. If your speaker is on, you will hear the sound of a can opening and Pepsi pouring. YOU ARE NOT DONE!

You must click "vote now" AGAIN for your vote to count!!!

NMAR has asked PBRC to express their sincerest thanks for the opportunity to share their need with our Pitbull community.

Two of the Missouri 500: Update on Sophie and Kiva

Sophie and Kiva are two of the girls from the Missouri 500 dogfighting bust that occurred last summer. They’ve been with me for almost six months now and are fabulous little girls!

Kiva came first. She was so shy that when she came out of her crate, she would lay flat on the ground, licking her lips and wagging just the tip of her tail. She will always bear the physical scars of dog bites, but the emotional scars are just about gone! She’s learned a lot in the last six months: how to live in a house, how NOT to potty in the house, and, yes, even how to sneak up on the couch when mom isn’t looking! Her sable coat is soft as velvet and her sweet eyes will melt your heart. When I watch her racing around the yard, playing with her friends or her flirt pole or rolling in the grass snorting in pleasure in the spring sun, I can’t imagine her previous life on a chain in the dirt. Dogs are fortunate that they live in the moment; I can’t imagine she will ever forget her beginnings, but they are obviously only very distant memories now.

Sophie was released from the St. Louis shelter about a month after Kiva was and has been with me for just over 5 months now. She doesn’t have the physical scars that Kiva has, but her emotional scars run much deeper.

Sophie came to me scared of everything—she could barely come out of her crate on her own power and would constantly run back to it as her only safe place. After a few days, she was able to come out into the bedroom her crate was in, but no further. She would stand in the doorway looking out as I called and encouraged her and then dash back to her crate and sit there waiting for me to come into her room and pet her. I started tossing cookies on the floor to get her to venture out of her safe zone, gradually getting her to chase the cookies into new rooms of the house. After a couple months, she had conquered the upstairs but was too terrified to venture downstairs, and she would always dash back to her crate when something startled her.

Housebreaking is hard when the outside world is full of scary noises, sights, and sounds! It took months before I could stop carrying her outside several times a day and even now she has moments when she needs that boost again. After about four months, she finally gained the confidence to tackle the basement. It took a few weeks of starts and stops, but now she plays downstairs like a pro, doing zoomies around and around the playroom. She is working on the backyard now and most days can play outside with Kiva but will still have moments of that crushing fear that causes her to run for the door again.

Both of these girls are available for adoption and would make for wonderful dogs in a home where they are the only dog or living with a compatible male. They are both great with confident kitties, but timid kitties would be overwhelmed by their enthusiasm. If there are children in the house, it would be best if they were older—although both Kiva and Sophie are tiny, they are solid and could knock the little ones down. Both would love to have a fenced back yard to play safely in—especially Sophie, as she’s just not ready to go for regular walks in public yet.

You can find more information on these girls at www.bhmsr.com and www.pbrc.net.

The Positive Pit Bull Raises Spirits at Wake Med

PBRC is always proud to see responsible Pit Bull owners making headlines for positive work. Congratulations to Cricket and Paige for their accomplishments. Keep up the good work!

The Positive Pit Bull Raises Spirits at Wake Med

By Melissa Griffin, User Submitted, 1 day, 9 hours ago
Updated: Apr. 6 1:15 pm

WAKE COUNTY, N.C.

RALEIGH, N.C.—A dog named Cricket made history this week at Wake Medical Center in Raleigh. Cricket was approved as the first American Pit Bull Terrier to be qualified as the newest member of the Hospitality Pets program.

Cricket and her person, positive reinforcement dog trainer Paige Burris, will make their first visit to Wake Med on Thursday, April 8. This dynamic duo is volunteering their talents and good cheer. The therapy work involves visiting patients every other week for two hours. Cricket is also the first dog to work in the children's emergency department, and her rounds will include a visit to pediatrics.

The Hospitality Pets Program provides sensory stimulation, encourages socialization and promotes communication in patients of all ages. Since 1985, dogs have been extensively screened in order to become a part of the program and honorary members of the Wake Med staff.

Burris says, “Our therapy work also includes visiting nursing homes, and volunteering with childrens' reading programs, offering people the opportunity to spend time in a positive way with an American Pit Bull Terrier.”

“The public is largely uninformed about the breed as all they know are the negative images and stories they see again and again through the media, ” Burris continues. “Now that Cricket and I have been accepted as a hospitality programs team at Wake Med, we look forward to visiting with children in the emergency department and in pediatrics, taking their minds off their immediate health concerns while they visit with and are entertained by Cricket.”

The team knows this is a win-win situation. Burris says, “The patient gets the immediate benefit of the human/animal bond, and Cricket and I leave everyone we meet with a positive impression of the breed... most of all, their incredible love of people.”

To inquire about the Wake Med program, contact Volunteer Services. At the Raleigh Campus, call 919-350-8293. At WakeMed Cary Hospital, call 919-350-2363. To learn more about Paige Burris and Cricket, visit thepositivecanine.com