Pit Bull Rescue Central Receives ASPCA Grant to Help More Dogs

Here at PBRC, we've always been fans of the work the ASPCA does to promote a positive image for pit bulls and help them find loving homes. In addition to their high-profile work saving pit bulls from abuse, they also provide great information and expose the truth about important issues like breed specific legislation and media bias.

So, we were especially excited to learn than an anonymous ASPCA employee chose PBRC as the recipient of an ASPCA Staffers' Choice Grant. The ASPCA Staffers' Choice Grant was established last year as a way for ASPCA employees who are being recognized for their achievements to give back to the rescue community. Thank you, Anonymous!

Earlier this summer, PBRC was awarded the $500 grant. What does $500 mean to PBRC? It means we can help even more pit bulls in need.

In the month of June, the grant helped five pit bulls get spayed or neutered as part of our Spay/Neuter Fund, which provides financial assistance to owners and rescuers doing their part to fight overpopulation.

PBRC also provides financial aid to owners and rescuers facing veterinary hardships. Last month, the ASPCA grant helped the PBRC Medical Fund contribute toward a cart for a New Jersey dog in need, providing the family that loves her a way to keep giving her a good life.

The work being done every day by the volunteers of PBRC to make the world a better place for pit bulls couldn't happen without the support of people like the ASPCA employees who care about the future of these dogs.

To learn more about the ASPCA: http://www.aspca.org/
To learn more about PBRC: http://www.pbrc.net/

ASPCA® Lets Pet-Loving Public Choose the Grand Prize Winner of its Meet Your Match® “Adopt-a-Bull” Contest

Online Vote Runs Entire Month of February; Celebrates Perfect Pit Bull Adoption Matches

NEW YORK -- The ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) today announced that animal lovers everywhere will have the power to cast their vote online at www.ASPCA.org/AdoptABull for which perfect pit bull match should be the grand prize winner of the ASPCA®’s Meet Your Match® “Adopt-a-Bull” Contest.

“Our vision for the Adopt-a-Bull Contest was to highlight the positive attributes and merits of the American Pit Bull Terrier,” said ASPCA President & CEO, Ed Sayres. “The ASPCA’s Meet Your Match program really highlights how important it is to make strong, long-lasting adoption matches between pets and people, and these four extraordinary stories are perfect examples of that bond.”

The four-[legged] finalists who are eligible to become the grand prize winner of the ASPCA®’s Meet Your Match® “Adopt-A-Bull” Contest are:

• Wanda – a black and white pit bull from the SPCA of Wake County in Raleigh, N.C., and her pet parent Elizabeth Bartow. Wanda enjoys parading her good behavior around town as a Delta Society Therapy Dog, and showcasing a happy wiggle known as the “butt-tuck-boogie.”

• Lola – a high energy American Pit Bull Terrier from Humane Society of Silicon Valley in Silicon Valley, Calif., and her pet parent Lark McIntosh. Lola has become a canine member of the “Pitty Committee,” a local Calif. group dedicated to promoting the amazing traits of pit bulls and pit bull mixes.

• Elsie – a high energy American Pit Bull Terrier from the Western Pa. Humane Society in Pittsburgh, Pa., and her pet parents Becky and Herb Torbin, who fell in love with Elsie’s affectionate and happy nature.

• Gunther, a.k.a. Ghost – a calm and gentle deaf pit bull from the Humane Society of South Mississippi in Gulfport, Miss., and his pet parent Rebecca Hengen. Rebecca hopes to enroll Gunther in some dog training classes, possibly with the long term plan of teaching him to be a therapy dog.

The Adopt-a-Bull contest ran throughout the year 2008, with one winner announced each quarter. Each of the four winners has been automatically entered into a contest for the grand prize. The public is encouraged to head to www.ASPCA.org/AdoptABull to vote for their favorite pit bull adoption match. The online vote will run until the end of February, at which point the votes will be tallied and a grand prize winner will be chosen.

“We are thrilled to be able to share these four heart-warming pit bull adoption stories with the public through this online vote to find a grand prize winner,” said Jane Berkey, President of Animal Farm Foundation. “The ASPCA’s Meet Your Match program values these dogs as individuals, and honors their incredible spirit. Pit bulls are just dogs: four legs, two eyes, one heart.”

The grand prize shelter winner will receive an all expenses paid trip to New York City in April 2009 to participate in the ASPCA’s Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month celebration and a $5000 grant for their shelter. The grand prize pet-parent winner will receive a photo shoot with a professional photographer and a bronze of their pet.

The “Adopt-a-Bull” Contest, sponsored by Animal Farm Foundation, seeks to recognize and celebrate American Pit Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers and dogs that appear to be predominantly of that type living in loving homes that were matched with their owners through the ASPCA®’s Meet Your Match® Canine-ality™ Adoption Program. The ASPCA®’s Meet Your Match® program is a scientific, research-based adoption tool aimed at creating better matches between prospective pet parents and animals based on accurate behavior assessments for the animals and understanding an individual adopter’s lifestyle and expectations. The program has proven to be extremely successful in increasing adoptions and reducing returns at shelters.

To cast your vote, or for more information about the ASPCA®’s Meet Your Match® “Adopt-a-Bull” Contest, please visit www.ASPCA.org/AdoptABull.