Operation Pit-STOP Overpopulation - North Carolina

The Humane Society of Charlotte
2700 Toomey Avenue
Charlotte, NC 28203

February 1, 2011

We are excited to announce our first pit bull spay/neuter promotion called Operation Pit-STOP Overpopulation that the Humane Society of Charlotte is conducting in conjunction with Charlotte Mecklenburg Animal Care & Control, the SPCA Alliance and the American Pit Bull Foundation. Our goal is to spay & neuter over 100 pit bulls that would otherwise go unaltered. We are conducting this campaign in honor of Spay Day, a national annual campaign of The Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International, to inspire people to save animal’s lives by spaying or neutering pets and feral cats.

Throughout the month of February, we will be setting appointments for pit bulls to be altered on a first come, first served basis. Each surgery costs the Humane Society of Charlotte an average of $65. We are collecting funds to help us reach our goal to sterilize at least 100 dogs. If you are interested in donating to the project, please contact Donna Canzano at 704-494-7704. If you are interested in scheduling an appointment, please contact Clinic Manager Tammy Cornell at 704-377-0534, ext. 233 or via email at tcornell@humanesocietyofcharlotte.org.

Tails in the 'Hood

Tails in the 'Hood began as a collaborative effort between two Atlanta area pit bull rescue groups, Atlanta Underdog Initiative and Friends to the Forlorn. They initially approached the owners and offered free dog food and vaccines. They formed a relationship with the owners before approaching them about spaying and neutering their dogs.

November 21, 2010

What a great weekend!! I headed out to meet Ami from Atlanta Underdog Initiative, her friend Drew and our new friend Tracy Bishop, who is a contributor to The Stubby Dog project. Tracy wanted to see what Tails in the ‘Hood is all about. I got to Ami's and we all jumped in the truck. A few days ago, while Ami was on the way to work, she came across a man walking a beautiful pit bull. Ami rolled down the window to her car and complimented the man on having a beautiful pit. The man said she needed a home. Ami had to go to work, so she called her husband David and had David go speak to the man. It turns out the man has six dogs and needs some help as he is in between jobs. We went over and spoke with him today. The man's name is Jermaine. We provided him with some great food and we are scheduling appointments to get some of his dogs fixed. It was a great day, but wait, it gets better.

While we were talking with Jermaine, he mentioned that there is a female pit roaming the block with 5 or six puppies in tow. He says the dog comes and knocks over his garbage looking for food. Jermaine described where the dog lived. Of course Ami knew who the owner was, good old Earl and his pit bulls. Every heat and there's a litter! Ami has been helping Earl by providing him with food for his pits for a while now, but she could never get him to fix his dogs. We decided to take a ride to go visit Earl and brought him some dog food. He was very appreciative. Ami asked him if he’s ready to get his dog fixed yet and he said he is as soon as the pups are old enough and Momma dog dries out. We are taking her in to get spayed in a few weeks. Wait, it gets better!

Remember the last video from Tails in the ‘Hood? We brought a crate and dog food to Kevin who attended the Atlanta Bully Education Rally. He had the pregnant blue pup in the yard. We decided to go check up on him and the pups. Kevin wasn’t home, but his mom was. We were just in time, as they were running out of dog food, so we left a few bags of food with her.

Kevin was up at the store with his dog, Lady. His mom told us that she hadn’t had the pups yet. His big male, Rocky, broke off his lead and ran away and they have not found him yet. As we drove away, we spotted Kevin walking Lady. We stopped the truck and got out to see them. Lady either wasn’t pregnant, or she lost the pups, because it has been to long for her not to have given birth. What a blessing! We pulled over to talk with Kevin. Guess what? We are scheduling an appointment for Lady to get fixed this week. Can you feel me? Can the day get better than that? I was so happy, I gave Kevin a Friends to The Forlorn Pitbull Rescue T shirt for free. That’s a big deal, because my mother bought hers! I don’t give these to just anyone. We are going to get Kevin and Lady some more food and teach him how to take care of her the right way.

Now we were on a roll. We went after Fletcher, Kevin's friend who is about 14 and a hustler. He breeds his pit bulls every chance he gets. We drove up to his house but he wasn’t home. We dropped off some food with his grandfather. As we were backing out of the parking spot I noticed Fletcher by the neighbor’s house across the street. Ami called out to him and he vanished. He knew why we were there. Fletcher, we are coming for you, buddy. You can run, but you can’t hide forever.

Columbia, MO ~ FREE Spay/Neuter Vouchers Available from Animal Control

COLUMBIA- Columbia/Boone County Animal Control officers are offering the gift of responsible pet ownership this holiday season. Beginning immediately, FREE spay/neuter vouchers are available to all Boone County residents.

The vouchers, which can be used to spay or neuter both dogs and cats, can be picked up anytime Monday – Friday from 8 am – 5 pm at the Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services, 1005 West Worley in Columbia. No appointment is needed. Recipients must present a photo ID and proof of Boone County residency (i.e. driver’s license, utility bill, voter ID card, etc.) After a voucher is obtained, the pet owner should call the Central Missouri Humane Society to schedule the spay/neuter procedure.

There are no income restrictions for the vouchers and more than one voucher per household is allowed. Vouchers are available on a first come, first served basis. They must be picked up before December 30, 2010, but the spay/neuter procedure does NOT need to be completed before the end of 2010.

For more information, please contact Animal Control at 573.449.1888.

Rescue Chocolate, Calendars, and NEW iPhone 4 cases!

Brand new to our CafePress store: iPhone 4 cases!

Perfect for holiday gifts (or yourself)! Bring style and protection to your Apple iPhone 4.

www.cafepress.com/pbrcstore

Here's a sweet deal! Dear PBRC Friends, Don't forget that your Rescue Chocolate purchases throughout the month of November will directly benefit Pit Bull Rescue Central. Rescue Chocolate is 'the sweetest way to save a life' because the company donates all of its profits to animal rescue organizations like ours. Get online now (www.RescueChocolate.com) and order some for your Thanksgiving feast, for your holiday gift-giving, and for your own private indulgences! You win (because the chocolate is yummy!), and the bullies win too!

PBRC 2011 Calendars on Sale Now!

You've got choices to make this year! This year PBRC is presenting two beautiful full-color, saddle stitched, 12-month calendars featuring rescued pit bulls!

PBRC offers their special addition 2011 People's Choice Pit Bull Calendar features your photos, your votes and your winners!

Along with that PBRC is offering their traditional 2011 Happy Endings Calendar featuring rescued pit bulls in their adoptive homes.

Another Happy Ending from the Missouri 500

In July 2009 a little black and white pit bull was rescued with hundreds of other pit bulls from their lives as fighting dogs. Already pregnant Vanilla as the shelter named her gave birth to 6 roly-poly puppies in a temporary shelter set up to house what became known as the Missouri 500.

In November 2009, after five long months in the temporary shelter, Vanilla started a new life with a new name. Vanilla became Sophie the day she came to my house for fostering until her forever home could be found.

Having never stepped foot inside a home before, Sophie had a lot to learn and a lot of fears to overcome. Veterinarians have recently realized that animals can exhibit many of the same symptoms that people suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder do and Sophie had many of these same symptoms, the intense, constant anxiety, the hyper-vigilance to her surroundings and fear/panic resulting from loud or unexpected noises. It was several days before she could walk out of her crate voluntarily and many weeks before she could leave the room where her crate was located. The television was another novel experience that required four months of gentle persuasion before Sophie could tolerate the sounds and movements we take for granted.

Month after month of her progress was an emotional roller coaster with wonderful highs as I watched her conquer yet another new experience and horrible lows as a sudden change caused her to backslide into panic mode again. Through it all, Sophie showed the typical, wonderful pit bull personality. As long as she felt safe, she was a happy little clown, learning what toys are for and what cuddling with people is all about. Even at her most panic stricken she never once offered any aggression toward me and learned quickly that people could be a source of safety and comfort rather than fear and pain. She greeted everyone that walked in the door as if they were long lost friends.

In November 2010, just a few days short of one year, Sophie began her last and greatest adventure yet. Sophie was adopted by a wonderful family into her forever home. Nicole, Jose and 8-year-old Noah are Sophie’s new best friends and family. Because it took so long for Sophie to adjust to life inside a house, I feared she would suffer a set back when she went to her new home, but this resilient little pit bull proved me wrong as she walked into her new home and set about happily investigating every room and making herself comfortable on the furniture. She never missed a beat even when I left her to her new life. I will certainly miss my little girl, but I am so very happy that she will get to spend the rest of her life with a family that loves her and will spoil her like the little pittie princess she deserves to be.

Congratulations to Sophie and her new family and I wish you all the best for many years to come.

~ Amanda Clase

From our friends at Atlanta Underdog Initiative and Friends to the Forlorn

Want to see the work Atlanta Underdog Initiative and Friends to the Forlorn does? Look at the videos below. This is taking to the streets and getting the word out. We weren't sure what to call it, but "Tails in the Hood" was rather catchy. Two Atlanta area rescues teamed up to reach the pit bull owners who need the education the most, and they started on the Southside of Atlanta.

On Saturday morning Jason and I assisted the Humane Society of the United States, Lifeline Animal Project and the Coalition to Unchain Dogs at a free rabies clinic and food give away for the general public in the English Avenue neighborhood of Atlanta. We provided the public with free rabies vaccines, free Halo dog and cat food and spay/ neuter assistance. It was nice to see all of the dogs and at least one cat (there may have been more cats, but I only saw the one) getting their shots. Some people even agreed to get their dogs fixed. Of course we saw a lot of pit bulls since they seem to be the dog of choice in lower income areas.

Before Jason arrived at the free rabies clinic he had picked up a large food donation in Morrow, GA. We used some of that food to do our neighborhood outreach on Saturday afternoon.

We delivered a new crate and some Halo dog food to a 17 year old boy who came to the Atlanta Bully Rally weekend before last. Jason and I were trying to educate this young man on proper and responsible pit bull ownership. He was given a pregnant female pit bull a few weeks ago. Though I wish we could talk him into getting a spay/abort, we have to gain his trust first so we don't alienate him. Besides, she's too far along for a spay/abort at this point. We also taught him how to care for his dogs and how to crate train them. We need to gain his trust so we can make sure the pups from his pregnant female end up in safe homes. We are trying really hard to get him to fix his dogs, but it takes time.

This is the work we will be doing, and here are two short videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKxGAe-ydIs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6-VryYcs1k

If you're in Atlanta and you want to help with this effort let us know! We welcome all the help we can get. You only need to have a passion for dogs, the ability to not judge someone and be able to keep a level head no matter the circumstances.

This work isn't easy, but we have to gain the trust of the people who need the education and build a relationship with them in order to help them become better pet owners. It's the best way to start to improve our communities, one dog at a time. Even if you're not in Atlanta you can model a program like this in your own area! All it takes is the desire to make a difference.

Rescue Chocolate ~ All November!

Hey PBRC supporters, here’s a sweet deal!

For the month of November 2010, you can help funnel donations to us by buying and eating chocolate! The Rescue Chocolate company, which donates all of its profits to various animal rescue organizations, has named PBRC as its November 2010 beneficiary.

The more you buy (and eat, and give as gifts), the more you will be increasing the company’s donation to us. So go online now (www.RescueChocolate.com) and figure out which of the yummy flavors you’d like to order next month.

You can choose from Peanut Butter Pit Bull (our favorite), Pick Me! Pepper, Fosterrific Peppermint, Mission Feral Fig, Wild At Heart, and Bow Wow Bon Bons.

We think you’ll like what you see, because everything is vegan, kosher/parve, handcrafted by artisan chocolatiers using traditional Belgian techniques, and packaged in eco-friendly materials.

A sweet deal? We think so! So plan to eat more chocolate, and save more bullies….!