Size is an issue!

If you've been following our site for the past few months, or even for the full year that we've been around, you'd notice that not only do we handle a few obvious Pit Bull mixes, but that our 'pure' Pitties come in a variety of shapes, colors and sizes.

When we get emails from shelters, we usually take the dogs in based foremost on personality and behaviour, we want all the PBs to be ambassadogs for the breed. We do take dogs in based somewhat on looks too as lots of people coming to our site to adopt a PB, actually want the dog to look like a PB, and that is totally understandable.

Once arrangements for transport have been made to get the dogs to us, we wait and talk amongst ourselves about what the dogs will be like in 'real life', and we start going thru our stack of applications from people waiting for dogs that will fit into their home perfectly.

When we unload the new arrivals, we are more often then not, take aback by the 'real life' size of the dogs in comparison to the pictures! Yes, their colors are also more vivid and their smiles even bigger, but their size is often a shock! Even when we post the dog's pictures on our site, the pictures often don't give many hints as to how big the dog is or isn't. You'd probably never guess that Todd is a very leggy, round solid body, dog that weighs over 65 pounds! His picture make him look short and stocky.

We want to correct this as we have had a few applicants apply from us that have specifically asked for a 'shorty' body style. Most people aren't disappointed when the dog is more buff and bigger, but we do have some people needing the dog to be under a certain height measurement to comply with a bylaw in their neighborhood.

So, we are going to add weight and height measurements to each dog's write up, another way we want to make each match perfect. In the case of some dog's, we will also include their length, Rooka is a beautiful example of a disproportionate body! She isn't any taller or heavier then the other 6 PBs in my home, but she is at least 6 inches longer, she really stands out!! She carries the extra length with grace and beauty, don't want to give her or her new owners a complex!!

Looking forward to sharing more about our dogs with our followers. If there is something else we might do or say to make the write ups more informative, please let us know.

Letter from Jenn's Hubby, so cute

To my wife, Jenn, and to my friend, Natalie,

I am writing this for two Rescuers who deserve more than the unsaid thanks or half hearted praise, or the unending questioning from family and friends “Is rescue more important to you then us?”

When people talk to the people who do rescue they say “Wow that’s amazing” or “That’s wonderful” or “Good for you”. I want people to realize that the work these two women do is more than amazing, more than wonderful, and much more than good, it is inspiring. They change not just the dog’s lives but that of people as well. They don’t just save dogs they save the people who adopt them. That’s wonderful.

At the drop of a hat they can recall every dog they have come across, where the dog came from, how it came to them, all the known names of said dog, the funny quirks and stories the dog amassed while in their care, and which forever home that dog was placed into and the final name it ended up with. That’s amazing.

They stop everything at the drop of a hat to save any dog from a stressful or violent situation, or worse yet, an unwanting and unloving home. They will go to any length, or personal financial cost to save these dogs from all these situations. They will give the dog unending care until its forever home comes along. And they do it at the steepest price of all, every dog, no matter how long or short their stay, takes with them a piece of their heart. And that is so much more than just good.

The questions.... “How can you do that??” usually preceded by the questions “Why do you do it” or “You can’t save them all you know”. In the face of all these questions these good, amazing, and wonderful women say how can you not save them? Why not do it? We can’t not save them, we can’t leave them behind, we can’t not love them, and we can’t not try to save them all.

To the family and friends that ask “Is rescue more important than us?” I think they just want you to realize that its not that the dogs are more important, it’s just that all of you know love and most of these dogs are yet to experience it. And they can’t let those dogs live their lives with out love when the two of them have so much to give!

I want both of these great ladies to know I will never again ask any of these questions and just know you have my unending support and help. I am proud and honoured to know you both.

Spring is.....Here?!

We had a fantastic time at Pet Expo last weekend, met lots of great people and talked to some that were genuinely scared of Pitties.....hope we impressed them!!

We also unleashed our tshirts, tanks and hoodies at Pet Expo. A friend to pitties and an adopter, Ryan, worked tirelessly to get the logos just perfect and ready for print. We will be changing our website soon to include a 'store' in which all our products will be available to buy online! Its very exciting for us.

Dogs have come into the group, and left just as quickly!! We absolutely love getting to know these dogs for a week or two, then see them off to new homes. We get lots of updates on the dogs from the new owners, and we really get uplifted by those updates....please send more!!!

Todd is still here!! We'll be updating the blog with a new post about Todd and we've narrowed down the most perfect home that we need to find, everyone will be able to help Todd find his home.

We do have some gorgeous Pitties looking for drivers to bring them up into Canada from Montana. They are in Kalispell.....anyone going down and would have an extra spot in the car for one? Please contact us at prairiepitbullrescue@live.com if you are able to provide transport for us. There is a volunteer from Kalispell that is willing to meet with some dogs in Browning, so that'll make the drive even shorter.

We also have two beautiful girls waiting for flights to get the H outta Ontario!! We'll be posting their pictures soon. Thats it, thats all for this morning.....have a good weekend everyone!

Seriously!!!

This was the email that we got today:

what young pitbull do you have i would love to adopt one for my son
im sorry i in financail trouble so i dont have money to spend if you were looking for money
please contact me
403***1930

Seriously?!!! And you know what?, this is not the first time nor will it be the last that people will email us asking about the dogs, then try to dicker on the price, or expect that if they promise to give the dog a good home, they will do that, but they can't pay!!!

My response to this idiot was:

What do you mean you don't have any money? why are you getting a dog? Do you think you are going to find a dog that doesn't cost you any money? Dogs are a financial responsiblilty, they need food, a bed, toys, treats and vet care (planned or uplanned). You have to provided those things for any dog, no matter how much it cost you to aquire, unless you plan to just dump the dog for being hungry or needing shots???

If you are in financial trouble, don't think about getting a dog, think about providing for your son, he needs a home and food, not a dog.

Was my response rude? I don't so. I think its rude for people to not provide for their family, or their pets. I trully wish that people had to take a test and save up X amount of money before they were allowed to have a kid, and then another test and another bank account before they can have a pet.

So guess what? If you are thinking of getting a dog from us, its $300 for the adoption fee, no ifs, ands, or buts. We have health checked, vaccinated, dewormed, microchipped, and spayed or neutered the dog. We work with a great team of vet clinics that provide these services at a discounted rate.

If you got a dog for free off kijiji or out of the classifieds, and none of those procedures have been done, heres an idea of the costs you are looking at if you had a dog about 50 pounds:

Health Check: $69.99
Vaccinations (incld. Rabies): $118.00
Deworming: depends on brand, let's say cheapest is $ 25.00 per dose (min. 2 doses = $50)
Microchipping: 34.00
Spay: $ 351.10 FEMALE TOTAL:$623.09
or Neuter: $284.83 MALE TOTAL: $556.82

**none of these prices are including GST, and these are the prices from an average priced vet clinic in Lethbridge......Calgary residence, go ahead and pretty much double those costs.

These are minimum and basic procedures for your dog (forgot you have to do three sets of vaccinations, so add that in). Minimum and basic care = Responsible pet owner.

Wallflowers Part 1: Todd

We have a few dogs in our system right now that don't take centre stage, they don't really stand out for any particular reason....they aren't cute puppies....but they are the kind of dogs that you could adopt and then realise that not only are they amazing, it feels like you've always owned them.

They do have 'special needs'. And, we are hoping that by telling the public what those needs are, and promoting the dogs along with those needs, we will be able to rouse someones interest in at least one of these dogs. I am going to post about each of these dogs every couple of days, so stay tuned.

First is TODD, and he is first because he's been with us the longest. Todd came to us from Butte, Montana on September 10th. He was running at large and never claimed by his owner. The shelter staff had met Todd before, frequent flyer at the shelter!, and were hoping that one day the owner wouldn't come for him, and they could see him off to a new home that would truly love him.

Todd is about 4 or 5 years old and is about 75 pounds. His ears and pouty bottom lip are not his most endearing quality.....its his kisses. He is the best people dog you could ask for. I am his foster mom, and really and truly love this nerdy boy. He is perfectly crate trained, and amazing with my kids, ages 5 and 8. He is totally in love with our dog, a petite Pitti X named Ivy. I've never heard him bark and he has never had an accident in our home or destroyed anything.

Todd is a gentle soul, he loves to snuggle and will do so for hours. He is an old man in the sense that when out in the yard, he will wander the whole yard, time and time again, to sniff all the sniffs and find that most perfect place to pee, or to sit in the sun. He never asks for a thing.

The issues: Todd pulls like a bull on leash, all the time, no matter what. I choose not to walk him, simple as that. I go out into the yard with him, he loves games of tag and tug, and we get his exercise needs met that way. We have a volunteer dog walker most days of the week who owns a crazy puller Pit Bull himself, so he does walk Todd. He does calm down by the middle part of the walk, according to the walker, and from there is more attentive to the person, yes its a person, on the end of the leash. He would love to jog, and is amazing on a bike, you don't have to peddle!

Todd also can't be adopted out to a home with cats, or male dogs. He's met a few male dogs and doesn't charge in all ego or anything, he casually approaches and then latches on!! We didn't really realise what he was doing the first time cuz there was no warning. So, we held the dogs still til Todd let go, and were shocked to not find a single puncture on the other dog. With the cat, same thing, he saw it, chased it and got it.....my crusty old cat who isn't dog savvy....and proceeded to carry him around the house much to my house sitters dismay! When he dropped the cat, the house sitter of course rushed the cat to the vet, but again, no punctures, no broken bones, nothing. Honestly, if Todd wanted to hurt another dog or cat, he has the power and strength to do so, but we've decided that he just wants to 'hold' things. But, that would definitely not be appropriate and understood in all homes, so we are hoping that a home without cats and with a submissive and calm female dog would be interested in meeting the Nerd as he's affectionately called. Are you interested?

TODD in a nutshell : 4-5 years old, neutered male Pit Bull, amazing with kids, less amazing with male dogs and cats. Perfectly house and crate trained, about 75 pounds of puller and cuddler.

Foster homes opinion: Would I keep him....yes I would!

The Coolest Collars and Leashes EVER!!!

Being pet owners on top of rescuers, we are always on the lookout for cool product for our dogs. I grew up with a Golden Retriever who, because of her long hair, had the same collar from the time she was 1 year til she passed at 10. When we got our little Pitty, Ivy, I suddenly noticed how boring collars can be on a dog where you can see the collar all the time!

Our family travels at every chance we can get, and I am always stopping at pet shops looking for unique collars......I found some! I was in the Lexi Dog store in Portland, Oregon and spotted a great collar, it had a seat belt buckle for the clasp and a great pattern. It was a teeny tiny size, but I had to get one!

Back home in Alberta, I started researching where I could get that collar and found the company, One Eye Blue, out of California. I called the guy up and told him that we are a Pit Bull Rescue and how great the designs of the collars were. He said that we could order wholesale quantities and use them as a 'year round' fundraiser!! How exciting. I ordered the first 15 sets about 4 months ago and they went like hot cakes. Then ordered another 20 sets, and out of that order, I only have 3 sets left.

We thought we would post about them as they are so cool, love the seat buckle closure as it is very tough and won't just let go when our pitties see a bunny! Anyone ever had that happen?!! I know Jenn had a worn out clasp give out on her a few weeks ago due to a bunny! Anyways, the clasps are awesome and the patters are kick-ass! I hate boring collars, but also don't like seeing Pitties wearing studded collars cuz it make them look WAY meaner then they ever could be. The patterns from One Eye Blue are like tattoos, lots of skulls and things like that, but then the other patters are just as cool. my personal favorite this week is the Twisted Fairies pattern.

So, please logon to www.oneeyeblue.com and check out the great patterns of collars and leashes. I am putting an order together in the next week or so, so that we can get them in before xmas. The website cost on a set is $45 plus then you have to pay taxes, duty, and shipping. If you'd like to order with our order, we get them for a bit cheaper, the set would be $40 with everything included. Let us know if you would like to order a few sets as gifts, or if you have a couple dogs that you'd like to dress up.

They are on the road!!!

The Ohio dogs left Youngstown yesterday afternoon!!!

The shelter lady that helps save the dogs out of the shelter and holds them until we can figure out transport, was sad and excited to see them getting loading into the truck bound for Canada. We all know how easy it is to get attached to our foster dogs, but to not see them thru to adoption and instead, just see them leave in a truck, her emotion and heartbreak is very understood. You have done a wonderful job of keeping these kids safe and alive Carrie, our hats are off to you!!

Now, onto the dogs:

Vinni

A tan male, with adorable floppy ears. Carrie says he is begging to run off the energy he has pent up after weeks of shelter life. He is about a year old and 60 pounds of happy!

Rennie

This cutie is from Massachusettes and got to hitch and ride with is best friend Bobbi. They too were very much loved members of a shelter with staff that fought to find a way to keep these two alive and get into rescue. Rennie is a black male Pitti, his full name is Renegade which I think is a cool name.

Rennie is said to be a little bit shy at the beginning but would love to lay on someone's feet all day long. Outside is for playing, inside is for chilling!

Misha

This sweet and mild lady is said to be 'ready and looking for kissing!' She is about 2 years old, and weighs in at about 60 pounds. Her ears were horribly cut off by her owners. They have healed, but aren't 'pretty'. I think her overall look is beautiful, what a rich chocolate color. Will make a wonderful companion.

Hershey

Talking about rich chocolatey goodness, here is Hershey. Carrie says this boy lived with kids, cats and other dogs in his old home and is playful with all. He is about a year old and a healthy 50 pounds.

Bobbi

Here is Rennie's girl. She is a sweet, toy obssesed gal! She is white with tan markings and loves toys. The shelter staff said that her and Rennie were the best of friends, but Bobbi here is very friendly to all types and sizes of dogs. She is active and might do good in agility. She will do anything for a toy to hold and carry around with her, even on her walks! She is about a year old.




SAGE

This little cutie as white with brindle markings. She is about a year old and weighs 45 pounds.




#758

This darling doesn't have a name, just a kennel number. She is a timid littleblue girl who weighs only about 40 pounds. She is said to be around 2 years old. Carrie says she is super duper sweet and melts after a few minutes of tender pets and words. I can't wait to hold her! Any name suggestions?

#710

Also, just a kennel number. This handsome block-headed boy not only has wildly wonky ears, he is also a doll and super happy to all he meets. A name for this boy is needed too for anyone who wants to send in a name.