Five Amazing Pit Bull Rescue Groups Fighting for Change

Pit bulls have wrongly been assigned a terrible reputation over the years. Due to alarmist media coverage, pit bulls are often portrayed as unpredictable, vicious creatures with ‘locking jaws.’ This is rather a biased view on this breed of dog.

First of all, research has proven that pit bulls do not have ‘locking jaws.’ They simply have stronger jaws than most dogs. Secondly, like with all breeds, if an owner treats his or her dog with love, care and attention, it will show in the general temperament of a dog.

Every dog needs to be trained well but pit bulls need extra attention. From a young age, they must be socialized with other dogs and exercised adequately. If you are considering becoming an owner of a pit bull, you must carry out sufficient research on caring for a pit bull, just as you should with any other dog breed.  Because of their incredible loyalty, pit bulls are greatly molded by the treatment they receive from their guardians. Since this loving breed is often misunderstood, many pit bulls are abused and treated cruelly. These amazing rescue groups are fighting hard to end this cruelty.

Angel City Pit Bulls
Angel City Pit Bulls takes its name from its location, the “City of Angels,” also known as Los Angeles. This organization, which is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, is completely dedicated to promoting a positive image of pit bulls as loving creatures through media, education and adoptions. A group of independent pit bull rescuers founded the organization. Now, it remains the number one source for everything related to pit bulls. Their motivation and compassion towards helping these voiceless creatures is inspiring.

BAD RAP
The local Animal Welfare, Rights & Protection for Guidestar’s Philanthropedia ranked BAD RAP as the most effective non profit organization, nationally. In 1999, this organization began as a resource for pit bulls and their owners in the area of San Francisco Bay. Today, it stands as one of the leading pit bull rescue groups out there. For a long time, few know much about the pit bull breed. BAD RAP intended to educate the uneducated on pit bulls.

Pit Bull Rescue San Diego
The Pit Bull Rescue San Diego’s organization began as a dream. It was the dream of Katie Davies. It developed from her deep love for her own rescue pit bull, Boscoe. With the help of her two friends, Kim Smith and Jenny Ludoyissy, Kate formed the Pit Bull Rescue San Diego. This organized is run entirely by volunteers. Their mission, as a rescue group, is to rescue, rehabilitate and rehome pit bulls in the local area of San Diego.

Villalobos Rescue Center
Every single pit bull gets taken in, treated and spayed or neutered by Villalobos Rescue Center. Many of the pit bulls they rescue have been mistreated and abused. Some have never felt a kind touch. At this rescue center, they are given all the love and kindness they deserve. They are given a second chance in life. They always have a minimum of 150 dogs at their rescue shelter but that figure is increasing. The organization used to be located in Los Angeles but in 2012, they relocated to New Orleans, Louisiana.

Pit Bull Rescue Central
It is this wonderful organization’s mission to create a world in which pit bulls are treated fairly and provided with loving and caring homes. Pit Bull Rescue Central uses media and fundraising to aid that dream. They rescue and facilitate abandoned and abused pit bulls, cradle them with love and affection, and take special care in finding them a new and suitable home where they will stay safe and loved for the rest of their life.




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Michael Vick's Rescued Dogs Reunited 5 Years Later - Take a Look at the Cute Video of Their Owners Trying to get them to Pose for a Picture

They were battered and bruised but, ultimately, they were not broken.
Seven dogs rescued from NFL quarterback Michel Vick’s Virginia property when he pleaded guilty to federal charges relating to dog fighting, were reunited in California Oct. 27, tails wagging, tongues out, happy.

Five years ago they had scars, some physical, all emotional.  They wore bandannas at their reunion celebration, surrounded by 125 emotional guests and their proud owners.

“They’re very forgiving and they all really enjoy other dogs, which is probably the other big surprise that came out of the case,” said Donna Reynolds, director of Oakland-based BAD RAP, an advocacy group for “pit bull-type” dogs. “In fact, dogs were a comfort to them.”

Reynolds’ organization worked with prosecutors on the Vick case in 2007 to identify dogs that were taken from Vick’s property who could be rehabilitated. Of the 10 that Reynolds’ organization secreted out of Virginia in the back of an RV because of the ongoing investigation, seven returned to their ranch nearly unrecognizable from the dogs that they were before.

                                                  (Image Credit: Mark Rogers/www.markrogersphotography.com)

                                                  (Image Credit: Mark Rogers/www.markrogersphotography.com)

Hector, a brownish pit bull, has scars up and down his chest and missing teeth from his days in Vick’s dog-fighting arena.

“He’s got a notch out of his tongue, a notch out of his ear. He definitely had a poor life before now,” his owner Roo Yori said.

Nearly five years ago, Yori and his wife drove more than 35 hours from Minnesota to San Francisco to pick up Hector. He came back to their home almost as if nothing had happened.

“Hector, fortunately, was one of the dogs that wasn’t as affected as some of the other ones. Hector, he just kind of got out of there said, ‘That stunk, let’s move forward,’ and that was it. It was very obvious he had never lived in a house; he had never been a pet dog,” Yori said.

“He unpotted a potted plant because he wanted to play with it like a stick.”
Hector now fits in well with the family: Yori, wife Clara and their four other dogs.
At the ranch, the normally independent, 7-year-old Hector became uncharacteristically animated, wagging his tail wildly and wiggling in excitement upon being reunited with Donna Reynolds and Tim Racer, the founders of BAD RAP.

“Hector actually loved Tim and Donna … you could totally tell,” Yori said. “He’s kind of an independent dog, he’s kind of aloof. When he saw Tim and Donna, he stared wiggling. You could tell he remembered them.”

                                                  (Image Credit: Mark Rogers/www.markrogersphotography.com)

All the dogs now lead full lives.

“Dogs live in the moment; they don’t dwell on the past,” BAD RAP’s Reynolds said. “Once they have enough positive experiences to draw on, they just run right into the present.”

Seven have Canine Good Citizen Certificates and three are therapy dogs in hospitals and children’s literacy programs.

At least one, Jonny Justice, a black and white  Staffordshire bull terrier with something of an eye patch, has become a bit of a celebrity.

Jonny appeared on “The Rachael Ray Show” in 2008 and next year will be the model for a stuffed dog made by manufacturer GUND as the winner of their “Top Dog” contest.

                                                  (Image Credit: Mark Rogers/www.markrogersphotography.com)

Of the 10 dogs rescued, three did not make it to the reunion: one because of distance and another because of a last-minute emergency. A third, Ernie, was just busy being a dog, no longer a “Vick dog.”

“Ernie’s mom doesn’t want him to be a Vick dog anymore, she just wants to have a dog,” Reynolds said.

                                                                       (Image Credit: Eric Risberg/AP Photo)

As the seven dogs and their owners posed for a glamour shot, giggles and laughter rang out when the dogs tried to squirm their way to freedom.

“The tails were just flying around,” said photographer Mark Rogers, who valiantly tried to wrangle the disorderly group for a final photo.

But there were also tears that came mainly from the 125 members of the public who attended the event just to lend some support.

“There were lots of hugs, kisses, lots of crying. When people meet these dogs, they cry,” Reynolds said. “They understand that they are little pieces of positive history.”

Take a look at the cute video below. They are trying to get the dogs to sit still for the picture. Tails are wagging all over the place...these dogs are happy now!




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