Pit bull rescue shelter expanding in New Hope
NEW HOPE, Miss. (WTVA) -- A local rescue shelter for dogs is looking to expand in North Mississippi.
Kenneth Shaw and his wife have raised pit bulls for years and in 2012, they decided to start a non-profit called Shaw Pit Bull Rescue in New Hope.
“We rescue dogs that are really needy and a lot of them have been starved and abused and we try to rehabilitate them and get them healthy and try to put them in the right homes," Shaw said.
Right now, there are 21 dogs here and this is the only pit bull specific rescue shelter in the state of Mississippi.
Shaw also stresses the importance of being responsible and how much time and effort it takes to care for the dogs.
“People nowadays don’t have responsibility and it’s not the dog’s’ fault it’s the human factor that people want it as a gift. It’s not a gift. It’s a living being," he said.
Several of these dogs were involved in dog fights in Aberdeen and they’ve made great improvements. Shaw is expanding now to Old New Hope Road and volunteers have started clearing the six acres.
“We'll have bigger kennels, build an indoor part of the shelter, have a lot of room to exercise the dogs, more room then we have now, also we’re adding a walkway all the way around the property," Shaw said.
Also on this property will be Pork Chop’s Phat Farm, a rescue shelter for pigs.
“That’s the next thing that will be trouble around here for shelters," he said. "A lot of people buying miniature pigs thinking they’ll stay small and they get 250 pounds and they just dump them off and they have nowhere to go.”
They need about $50,000 to make this happen and have already received some donations. Shaw is always looking for volunteers and if you want to donate you can go to http://www.shawpitbullrescue.com/.