Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Someone called me a pit bull...and sealed my fate in Ontario.

Most of us know that Ontario is home to the most restrictive Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) in North America. A dog deemed to be a "pit bull type" cannot be adopted or imported into the province. It means that countless innocent dogs have been put to death and people have seen their gentle family dogs seized and subject to restrictive muzzling laws.

Despite the death, heartbreak and millions of dollars in legal fees, there has been no evidence of fewer dog bites in Ontario or increased public safety. And with each month that goes by, it becomes more clear that BSL is fundamentally flawed.

Someone posted these puppies for sale online calling them "pit bull mixes" and sealed their fate. The mother dog (a Lab/Shepherd cross) and her litter were seized by Animal Control and her puppies sit on death row.

Was the father a pit bull? We don't know for sure. He may have been a mastiff, a boxer, or another Lab. But because a backyard breeder decided to type the dreaded "P-word" these otherwise highly adoptable puppies may die.

These puppies drew the attention of MonStars Mastiff Rescue, who is desperately looking for a way to have them transported out of the province, where they can be adopted and undergo a breed identification from a professional. Ironically, an organization like HugABull would normally not accept these puppies because they appear to have minimal or no pit bull in them!

Although HugABull cannot take puppies at this time, a local all-breed rescue, The Penny Foundation, has stepped up and offered foster care to the eight little ones. Now we wait to see if the red tape can be unravelled and if these dogs can be released out of the province - and survive. As healthy, social, cute-as-a-button puppies they will have no trouble finding homes in Vancouver. But in Ontario they may die, because one person at one time uttered "pit bull."

Please send your thoughts and wishes to these little guys, and remember that these are just one litter of many slated for death row because of BSL. Share this story with your friends, and help us open eyes to why we are so passionate about ending discriminatory legislation.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Pit Bull Awareness Day

Channel your Halloween spirit and bring your leashed, well-behaved dog to march with us in pit bull solidarity!

HugABull is organizing Vancouver's first Pit Bull Awareness Day Walk with a Halloween theme. We welcome all breeds and all people with crowd manners to help us show off our pit bulls as the well-behaved, fun-loving family members they are.

We'll be dispensing special treats along the way to put extra emphasis on the sweet side of pit bulls.



Creative Halloween costumes are encouraged...!

Details
Saturday, October 24
Starting at Science World (1455 Quebec Street) in Vancouver. Meet us on the grassed side of the parking lot.
3:30 meetup
4:00 walk

Click here for the background and history of Pit Bull Awareness Day, and email info@hugabull.com for more information or to RSVP.



Thursday, October 8, 2009

We are thankful for our many supporters...

Thanks to our many friends and fans, our Giggle Dam fundraiser was another success. We had a great turnout of 118 people, and our preliminary calculations indicate that over $3,000 was raised. These funds will directly benefit our rescue and advocacy activities over the coming year.

It was a fun night, made especially memorable by seeing certain HugABullers on-stage in costume...in addition to being dog advocates, they're also very good sports.

Thanks again for joining us, supporting us and laughing with us!

A special thank you to everyone that contributed to our silent auction:
Black Rock Resort
Bow Wow Haus
Dog & Hydrant Photography and Boutique
Don Osborne
Forever My Friend Pet Gifts and Custom Framing
In the Raw Foods for Dogs and Cats
International Year of the Tiger Foundation
Makoa Leather
Modern Dog Magazine
Off-Leash Dog Photography
PNE Pacific National Exhibition
S.I.T. Bits
Urban Pets
Vancouver Canadians
Venom Motorworks & Automotive Detailing
West Coast Tails Professional Pet Services

A very special thank you to the Coquitlam Now for this wonderful article on HugABull Director Arlene, with Mr. Beefcake and Cocoa Bean. It was great coverage and we were thrilled with it (though Beef and Beans were worried that the photo made their heads look big...)