The Power of "Petnerships"

This summer will be very busy with events, and we'd love to see you at them! Keep an eye on the following pages for information and details about where we'll be:

• The events page on our website
• Our Twitter feed! Follow us @HugABull
• The calendar on our blog (look down and to the right!)
• Our Facebook group (log in and search "HugABull")

This weekend we'll be at The Petnerships Project. This event is a weekend of learning and connecting around animal wellness. There will be a roster of experts speaking about holistic and natural approaches to pet care, a trade show, and a rescue showcase. The organizers behind The Petnerships Project are strong supporters of rescue and are responsible for the great media stories about the 23 dogs seized in Surrey. Join us at the Hellenic Community Centre in Vancouver on Saturday or Sunday, and visit http://www.petnerships.com/ for your $5 entry coupon!

If you live on the Island, make sure to check out the fundraising car wash in Saanich on Saturday. And while we're at it, a belated shout out to the volunteers behind "Hungry for HugABull" and Nando's Restaurants who hosted a vibrant event last weekend, complete with pittie visitors (on their best behaviour, despite the fragrance of delicious chicken dinners wafting around). Thank you to all!

A Summer of Support

Since the May rescue of 23 dogs in Surrey, we have been humbled by the amazing support of the pit bull community. Six weeks later we finally have time to take a breath, and the first thing we want to do is thank the many people who made this rescue project possible.

Partners
Local pit bull rescue Bully Buddies took five of the puppies into their care, including two with severe mange. They have taken wonderful care of these dogs - all are now thriving and destined for great homes.

The organizers of The Petnership Project heard about the 23 dogs through TnT Shar Pei Rescue and immediately wanted to do all they could to help. They put a spotlight on HugABull as a featured rescue and helped us secure widespread media coverage in multiple radio stations, on CTV, and in The Province. (We'll be participating in their rescue showcase at their event on June 19 and 20 in Vancouver - come see us there!)

Sponsors
Big Heart Rescue donated boxes of supplies, toys, collars and leashes.
Cambie Animal Hospital provided a generous rescue discount for the dogs' extensive veterinary care.
Dizine Canine Training Centre in Vancouver donated daycare and training.
Dog Utopia in Surrey donated supplies and transport.
Elemental Canine in Cloverdale donated a truckload of high-quality puppy and adult food.
Furever After Small Dog Rescue Society donated collars, leashes and supplies.
Nicole Leblanc donated several bags of Wellness dog food.
W&M Pet Supplies in Langley donated toys.

Fundraisers
Meghan Clarkson is donating proceeds from her "Don't Shop...Adopt" t-shirt and sticker sales through RedBubble.com.

Doggybytes.ca is donating proceeds from button sales during the first month of its #endBSL campaign.

Natalie is organizing a fundraising car wash in Saanich on June 19.

Janice Mills spearheaded Hungry for HugABull, a fundraiser in partnership with Nando's Restaurant in Victoria.

Fosters
Thank you to the people who opened their homes and hearts to sick, suffering, and three-legged dogs. Fostering is always rewarding, but it is not always easy, especially when repeated vet visits and needle-like puppy teeth are involved! But thanks to you, these dogs thrived in family environments - rather than languishing in kennels - while they waited for their forever homes.

Donors
We received over $2,000 in cash donations from generous individuals who we would love to recognize by name - but some would rather stay out of the spotlight so we can only thank them as a group...and remind them their dollars directly save lives.

Thanks also to the volunteers who helped with homechecks, transport, positive energy and so much more over the past six weeks. It is truly a privilege to work with such a vibrant, dynamic community of animal lovers. On behalf of 23 dogs and HugABull, thank you!

HugABull now in the Okanagan

As an organization run exclusively by volunteers, we get very excited when new people join our steering committee. With the addition of Leah Gilmour, our Kamloops/Okanagan representative, we can expand our services into the Interior - supporting families, working with shelters, building our network of foster homes, and ultimately saving more dogs.

Leah has been a fan of bully breeds for years. She fell in love with a sweet, black, uber-affectionate little pit bull named Ace years ago, and after researching the breed and watching countless YouTube tributes she became determined to adopt one. The BSL in Edmonton, her city of residence at the time, was a deterrent but she persisted and added two pit bulls to her family that already included Marlon (a Boston Terrier) and 10 snakes! Stella is an AmStaff from Alberta's Pit Bulls for Life and Rufus is a mixed breed from Ontario that looked "substantially similar" enough to a pit bull to be sent out of the province.

Attracted by the sunshine and dog-friendly lifestyle of the Okanagan, Leah and her hsuband moved to Kelowna last year. She's been active in the HugABull community and eager to do her part to extend our services to new areas of BC.

Leah will be reaching out to shelters and services in the Interior to build partnerships, and recruiting volunteers and foster homes in the region. We'd like to extend a warm welcome to Leah and her family, and invite any pit bull owners, advocates or supporters in her area to get in touch! Email info@hugabull.com to find out more and connect with Leah and HugABull.