May 21, 2012 - The day that started it all.

This was the day that 11 pit bulls were seized from a home in Caledonia and put to sleep without a chance of finding a new home. Let me clarify, I am not blaming the Humane Society - it was their policy (at that time) not to adopt out pit bulls. However, it was this event that put the idea in my mind that a local American Pit Bull rescue was necessary. Little did I know that it was going to come to fruition much sooner than I thought!

Most of you know about the pit bull puppy we re-homed in late June, and the Mama dog we found at the Lux the next day. Mama Girl, as we named her, found her forever home about a month later, with a very nice family. She is living her dream and being loved and cared for.

OUR MISSION STATEMENT:

Our goal is to provide abused, abandoned or homeless pit bull dogs the medical attention they need, as well as the love and attention they deserve to heal both emotionally and physically. We will work to facilitate the rescue of abused or abandoned pit bulls, with placement into respon-sible homes, and we will participate in fundraising to provide pit bull owners the means to seek veterinary treatment, spay or neuter them, and provide them food and shelter. We are dedicated to fostering responsible pit bull ownership through low-cost veterinary spay/neuter options, education, adoption and breed advocacy.

We ran our first ad in The Real Story Aug. 15. We received six surrendered pit bulls the following Sunday, Aug. 19. What originally began as “we can only house one pit bull at a time” quickly got blown out of the water! But we can’t turn our back on a pit bull in need. We are expecting a pit bull/lab mix from Houston this Saturday, Aug. 25. Apparently, there was a great need for a local pit bull rescue operation!

The dogs we received on Aug. 19 weren’t in the best of shape, but they are quickly fattening up and learning their roles. The two younger dogs are very skittish, but we are working with them to let them know what a wonderful life they could have if they just let people in. They are not aggressive, just scared. The older dogs are very people-friendly and get along well with each other. We are looking for approved fosters or forever homes, if anyone is interested. Their photos can be seen on our website, shawpitbullrescue.com, and our Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/ShawPBR.

We are currently in the process of filing for all of our licenses, corporation paper and non-profit status - and just about any other type of permit or application you can think of, it seems! We can’t actually ask for tax-exempt monetary donations until the 501(c)3 status is granted. However, if you are interested in helping our cause, please visit our website for more information and to see our wish list.

We also have “Hate Pit Bulls?” t-shirts available for $15 each - or free with dog food donation (either a 40-pound bag or a small bag and several cans of puppy food).

We are also in the process of contacting businesses and veterinary clinics about the possibility of placing donation jars at their locations to benefit the pit bulls at Shaw Pit Bull Rescue. If you would be interested in allowing us to do this, please let us know. We are also looking for ideas and sponsors for fundraisers.

Our dear friends Heather and Wayne McIntyre have also become pit bull advocates and are currently fostering a beautiful young male pit mix. They were fostering a rescued pit bull, but Susie has become a permanent fixture in their home! See what the love of a pit bull can do?!

Starting this rescue has been pretty labor-intensive, but it is also richly rewarding on many levels. Finding a new, loving home for a rescued pit bull represents a victory in our life-saving work. Every person we reach with our message of compassion and care for these wonderful dogs will share it with others...and that ripple of compassion will keep growing and growing. That, in itself, is reward enough for what we are trying to do.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever does” (Margaret Mead).