Bully Breeds Are Now Targets for Success in Community Efforts to Find Responsible Forever Homes

I have created a new career for myself in retirement as an animal advocate. I
write articles to create awareness of shelter pets.

Thanks to the community and worldwide activism, bully breeds like the pit bull
are finding loving homes of their own.

Photo by Vitor Fontes on Unsplash

Celebrating Bully Breeds

October is Pit Bull Awareness Month, and the bully breeds are being celebrated
in communities around the world. Activities include adoption events and rescue
efforts like the recent massive success in Montreal that resulted in the
postponement of a ban on the bully breeds.

Community activism from pet parents who own dogs that fit the categories of
bully breeds, national organizations such as the SPCA, and local rescues and
shelters that feature these dogs in special adoption events are all involved
in calling attention to these loving dogs that need forever homes.

Community involvement is high on the list of the characteristics of a
successful no-kill shelter. The bully breeds are now beneficiaries of the
movement towards no-kill in cities and towns around the country and the world.

Finding Forever Homes at Forget-Me-Not

Forget-Me-Not, Inc. is a nonprofit no-kill animal rescue in Manatee County,
Florida that specializes in helping to find forever homes for hard-to-place-
dogs. It recently partnered with the Manatee County Animal Services shelter in
Palmetto, Florida to celebrate the bully breeds with its “Clear the Shelter”
adoption event that was held in September. The event featured themes to help
find responsible forever homes for the bully breeds that comprise the shelter
population of the Manatee County animal shelter.

Bully breeds make up the majority of shelter animals around the country, and
the Manatee County Animal Services shelter is just one example of a shelter
that must educate its community about these loving dogs in order to find
forever homes. The “Clear the Shelter” adoption event featured the themes of
“Unforgettabull,” “AdoreABull,” and “LuvABull.”

Chief of Animal Services Sarah Brown and her shelter staff were thankful for
the partnership with Forget-Me-Not, Inc. rescue that made this adoption event
a success. A total of 27 dogs that were classified as bully breeds found their
forever homes.

Lily is a current example of the partnership between a rescue and a county
shelter.

Personal photo courtesy of MCAS

Ongoing Adoption Opportunities Benefit the Bully Breeds

Forget-Me-Not, Inc. rescue is continuing its efforts to find forever homes for
the special bully breeds that reside at both the rescue and the Manatee County
Animal Services shelter. The organization’s website is regularly updated with
professional photos of the smiling faces of their “bullies.”

The organization also partners with local businesses such as Tractor Supply
Company in Bradenton, Florida and dogs from the rescue are regularly featured
at adoption events held on weekends at the company’s site: 4404 FL-64 in
Bradenton, Florida.

When Local Organizations Partner With Larger Ones, Rescue Dogs Win

Forget-Me-Not, Inc. is an example of a local organization that helps to
partner with the rest of the world in saving the bully breeds. The petition to
protest against Montreal’s ban on dogs classified as “pit bulls” was featured
on its website in September. The latest news report states that this worldwide
effort to save the bully breeds in Montreal has been successful in stopping
the ban for now. Efforts are continuing to permanently stop the ban. This
Bradenton-Sarasota rescue organization is proud to participate in this ongoing
effort.

Opportunities to Foster or Volunteer

Professional photos, creative stories about each dog, and opportunities to
foster a beautiful bully are also featured on Forget-Me-Not’s website.
Fostering is an opportunity to get to know a dog in your home while helping
the dog to learn to live in one. Forget-Me-Not features both adoption
applications and applications for fostering a dog on its updated website.
Opportunities to volunteer or to donate food and needed supplies are also
featured.

This organization hopes to influence other communities around the country to
join the movement to save dogs that are classified as the bully breeds.
Education is the key to saving these lovable canines. Be a part of October’s
Pit Bull’s Awareness Month, and educate your community about these loving
dogs.

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New and Creative Personal Stories and Photo Shoots Showcase Bully Breeds at

MCAS

Manatee County Animal Services shelter in Palmetto, Florida works hard to come
up with creative promotions to help find forever homes for the large bully
breeds that find themselves at the shelter for a variety of reasons.
Volunteers help with creative photography to showcase these deserving dogs.
The large bully breeds are the predominent group that the shelter houses and
these creative promotions call attention to the fact that these dogs are
loveable and deserve a forever home.

They took the opportunity to showcase some “mamas” during the month of May
this year of 2021. Volunteers and photographers had a great time dressing
these “mamas” for their photography shoot. This was just one of the features
for the month of May 2021 along with the $10 adoption fee to take one of these
sweet bully mamas home.

The Suncoast Pet Magazine also has become a very useful tool to feature the
large bully breeds at Manatee County Animal Services. This magazine is a
source for quality readers who can responsibly adopt. Dog savvy pet parents
are needed for these bully breeds because of their size and some different
needs that these dogs have.

Volunteers and shelter workers also have started to write descriptive stories
about each dog’s background before coming to the shelter. The “life
experiences” as written in these stories about each dog create a genuine
picture of the dog that people who are looking to adopt can relate to and
present the actual facts that potential adoptive pet parents can know about
the dog before they adopt. Let’s face it: Bully breeds are big! Responsible
pet parents must be educated about these dogs and the volunteers at MCAS work
hard to write the true stories for each dog in order to showcase them at their
best. Adoptions are up in numbers and readers may see shelter statistics at
www.mymanatee.org/pets.

Readers can find the personal stories written by volunteers on the Facebook
page run by volunteers from The Furry Friends of Manatee County Animal
Services.

Volunteers and creative photo shoots this month to showcase bully breeds at
the shelter.

Personal photo courtesy of Manatee County Animal Services shelter

Personal story for Penguin was featured by volunteers from the Furry Friends
of Manatee County Animal Services.

Personal story for Penguin May 2021

My Heart Belongs to MCAS

I became involved with helping the Manatee County Animal Services shelter in
an unusual way. The eyes of a German Shepherd that was in danger of euthanasia
brought this shelter to my attention. I now write articles to promote adoption
from this shelter.

I am encouraged that my articles do work to call attention to this shelter
that was hidden from the public by its out-of-the-way location for many years.
This is a shelter that has traveled a long road toward no-kill classification.
Please share with your friends around the country.

The Sarasota-Bradenton area has a unique opportunity to share this shelter in
Palmetto, Florida with the seasonal residents who reside during the winter. We
call these seasonal residents “snowbirds.” These seasonal residents are
invited to volunteer in a number of ways while they are here for the winter.

Resource for Readers to View Available Bully Breeds

Manatee County Florida Animal Services

Comments

Cindy Hewitt (author) from Sarasota on October 17, 2016:

If you are a “snowbird” who is residence in the Bradenton-Sarasota area for
the winter season, you are invited to explore volunteer opportunities for the
Manatee County Animal Services shelter in Palmetto-short drive down I-75 from
Bradenton-Sarasota area. Dog walkers needed, loving hands to give baths, and
tons of volunteer opportunities. Thanks and please share to friends that you
might know who are “snowbirds” in this area for the winter.