January 31, 2014

"Every dog starts life with a blank canvas.

His destiny etched by the hands of the painter, and each one an artist's original.

The portrait painted depends on how the brush is held.

Paint with hostility, and a dog learns to fight.

Paint with cruelty, and a dog learns fear.

Paint with anger, and a dog learns aggression.

Paint with praise, and a dog learns confidence.

Paint with boundaries, and a dog learns respect.

Paint with tenderness, and dog learns to bond.

Paint with affection, and a dog learns to love.

Every dog is a product of its environment.

Bad dogs are not born, they are created.

If the portrait is flawed, look to the artist. Stop blaming the dogs!" 

                                                                                           --  Jodi Preis

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Mama Girl, Max, Coco, Rita, Angel, Bailey, Cane, Dino, Slappy, Chandler, Jebediah, Cletus, Ellie Mae, Miss Priss, Carmella, Baby Girl, Precious, Ethan, Clyde, Punkin, Ana, Butters, Nila, Dixie, Clint, Ethel, Daisy, Roma, Roxy, Renee, Sue, Diesel, Allie, Brooke, Dusty, Big ‘Un, Shy, Rebel, Mama Girl (2), Gordy K, Bertha, Jolene, Jed, Memaw, Juliette, Vern, Mickey, Mallory, Lady, Buster, Gringo, Shirley, Lamont, Care Bear, Bella, Princess, Houdini, Snoopy, Riley, Genae, Forrest, Lt. Dan, Buford, Bubba, Louise, Isabel, Bella, Drake, Titan, Tramp, Mocha, MaiThai, Luigi, Munchkin, Silvie, Crackerjack, Evie, Junebug, Baloo, Slick, Jesse, Diva, QT, Gypsy Moon, Jughead, Drake, Titan, Nova, Female Pup, Male Pup, Oreo, Boudreaux, Pinwheel, Jezebel, Krueger, Stella Luna, Percy...

What are all those names and what do they have in common? They are the 97 pit bull-type dogs that Shaw Pit Bull Rescue has found forever homes for since rescuing Mama Girl I in July of 2012. And, no, that’s not a typo - 97 pit bull or pit bull mix dogs have gotten a second chance at a loving life due to the efforts of the “Pit Crew” (the board and volunteers of Shaw PBR).

Unfortunately, Pit Bulls are the number one abused breed in America - in great part due to a lack of education, responsibility, time, and money. Because of the abuse and neglect that many pit bulls have been subjected to, many have become homeless or abandoned - including our first rescue, Mama Girl I, the starved pit bull that was found abandoned and protecting her deceased puppy; to Rita, an extremely malnourished pit bull that we didn’t think would survive the night; and Jughead, a shy boy that literally crawled up to a someone’s house, battered and bleeding, just begging for some tender loving care. Now, Mama Girl, Rita and Jughead are among those living the high life with all the love they can handle, bordering on being spoiled absolutely rotten. 

We have truly been blessed, in that we have found adopters (or rather, they found us) who have given these dogs the chance at a happy and fulfilling life.  We, at Shaw PBR, cannot thank them enough. But our job doesn’t end with each adoption. For every pit bull that is adopted, there are 20 more waiting to go in their empty kennel. As of this writing, we have 38 dogs at our facility - all are looking for their new, forever home.

These include: one-year-old, Gemma, a great little dog that is missing her (adopted) kennel buddy and would love a new home of her own; Sam, a beautiful blue young adult male that was nearly starved; Cici, a young adult female that loves playing with softballs so much, she’ll throw it in the air and chase it for hours on end; and Lovey, an astoundingly gorgeous young adult female that came to us with her sister, Lexie - both were rescued from a horrible situation where a third dog was found deceased, still tethered on a chain. All are looking to make new friends.  

Tre, a white speckled male; Victoria, a beautiful, spunky little girl; Spike, a chunky blue sweetheart; Mesha, a spectacular brindle female; and Willow, a sweet, amazingly colored young adult female, can barely contain their excitement when potential adopters are around!

T-Bone, full of character and passion; Diojee, the “community dog”; Vixin, a sweet, tiny butterball; Booger T, a larger, black, uber-friendly male; and Yogi, a phenomenal looking boy - are all wagging their tails, ready to meet their “forever” homes!  Could your home be the one?!

We have many more dogs looking for their perfect match - from eight-week-old pit-mix puppies to 10-year-old Sheba - used for breeding until she was no longer useful to her previous owner.

For more photos of our ‘adopt-a-bulls,” or for information on adopting, donating, etc., please visit us online at http://www.shawpitbullrescue.com or http://www.facebook. com/shawpbr or call Lesley Bailey at (662) 295-2896 or Kenneth Shaw at (662) 386-9153.

• The Real Story • January 31, 2014 •