1. Could you please share with us the story of how you got involved with Passion for Pitties?
When my family was ready to add another member, we went to a local rescue. The rescue asked us how we felt about a senior pitbull who had been within their care for nearly two years. Instinctively, we thought “why would we want this dog that absolutely no one wanted?” But, trying to be open minded, we met him. That was the day that my world changed. We ended up adopting McCoy and he has been the most amazing dog. He is our best friend, therapist and confidant. Many years later, our vet informed us that McCoy would likely not see the end of the year, as he had already surpassed his life expectancy and was having some health issues. We were all devastated, but I think that it hit me the hardest. After all of the ways that he has enriched my life, I needed to find a way to give back to McCoy. I started reaching out to bully rescues to see if they were looking for volunteers. One of the rescues that I reached out to was Passion for Pitties. They were in need of a Fundraising Manager and asked me if I would be interested in taking on the role. Having never done anything like that before, I was a bit nervous, but I accepted. . . .After all, what a great opportunity to make sure that other dogs have what McCoy would have wanted while he was waiting for us to find him. I have been with Passion for Pitties since. McCoy is still with us, now 16 years old. I often hear people say that they want to be the person that their dog thinks they are. My dog actually made me a better person and I am grateful for that.
2. What has been the most challenging aspect of your role as the Fundraising Manager for Passion for Pitties?
For me, the most challenging aspect of being a fundraiser for a dog rescue is that the need far exceeds the supply. Companies are constantly being inundated with requests for donations and they can not realistically help every organization that is in need, regardless of how amazing the cause may be. I also think that the lack of cash donations is very challenging. By far, our largest expense is related to providing medical care for our plethora of pitties. We typically have between 25-40 dogs within our foster care network. Saying that providing medical care for all of those dogs is expensive is a gross understatement. While we are incredibly grateful for all of the supplies that we receive, we really do need more cash donations to help cover the cost of medical care.
3. In your opinion, what sets Passion for Pitties apart from other animal rescue organizations?
The main thing that sets Passion for Pitties apart from other rescues is something that other rescues just don’t have. . . our people. Our team is just spectacular! All Passion for Pitties staff are volunteers and most of us have jobs and family obligations in addition to our rescue work. We not only work together towards the common goal of helping the dogs, but we support each other in such an amazing way, not just within the world of rescue, but in our private lives as well. Being a foster based rescue, we know that we could not exist without our amazing network of foster families, so we do our best to extend this support to our foster families as well. Even when a family ends up adopting their foster dog, oftentimes they continue to volunteer within the rescue in some capacity. We are an extended family and that is special!
Another thing that sets us apart is that we don’t just take the “easy” dogs. We take the dogs that need help, even though those dogs remain within our care for longer and cost significantly more money. In February, we took in a dog that was shot and left in a homeless encampment to fend for herself. Faith required multiple surgeries and we have spent thousands of dollars rehabilitating her. Faith has been with her foster family for more than three months now and, while she is doing great, she is still recovering from her injuries and not yet available for adoption. Many rescues shy away from cases, like Faith’s, because of the extensive medical care that is required. Passion for Pitties just saw a sweet dog who needed help. Not getting Faith the help that she needed was simply not an option for us.
4. What advice would you give to someone who is considering adopting a pit bull?
The advice that I would give to someone who is considering adopting a pitbull is the same that I would give to an adopter of any breed of dog. Please don’t overlook the dogs that have been in rescue for extended amounts of time. Like we did, many people assume that something must be wrong with a dog who has been in rescue for months or years. I can say that some of our most amazing dogs are the ones who have been with Passion for Pitties the longest. I will never understand why people are not lining up to adopt some of these amazing dogs! I would also recommend considering adopting an older dog. Many people want puppies and automatically discount dogs who are slightly older. There are many advantages to adopting older dogs. . . they are usually already housebroken and tend to be less destructive chewers. If the dog still requires some training, unlike puppies, older dogs have the mental capacity to learn and tend to be more eager to please. Older dogs also tend to me more mellow and are content to just sit next to you, soaking up the love, while you watch a movie. I knew when I adopted McCoy at 9 years old that I would likely not have him for as long, but he has been a part of our family for 7 years. Even though I know that we are near the end of his life, I would not change a shorter amount of time with him for all of the time in the world with any other dog.
5. What are the future plans and goals for Passion for Pitties?
So far this year, we are on target to place 40% more dogs in loving, forever homes than we did in 2022. Our future plans are simple. . . raise more money, get more cash donations, and grow our foster care network so that we can continue to save more dogs.