Minnesota Pit Bull Rescue

22/11/2024

2024 marked fifteen years of existence for MN Pit Bull Rescue. That’s a decade and a half of dogs and adopters (and the fosters and volunteers who helped those matches become reality!), but also fifteen years of changing landscapes in pet ownership, volunteering, and the needs of the community around us. Donate today to help us reach our evolving goals and provide greater assistance to our community in the coming year!

*A special note- just like previous years, any donation of $100 or more will earn you a one of a kind MPBR sweatshirt. We’ll contact you the first week in December for your size and shipping address so be sure to enter your information on the donation page and check your spam folder in December if you don’t see something in your inbox.*

https://www.givemn.org/story/C9thig

The Mascot litter was the last litter we will take in for 2024. They came to us from Willmar, MN. Unfortunately, another unwanted litter who had clearly been fighting over very limited food judging by the wounds and boney bodies.

When they came to us, we didn't just focus on getting them fed and finding them homes. We went a step further. We got their mom spayed. Why? Because we're all about nipping the problem in the bud. There are way too many pups out there without homes, and we're trying to cut down on that number, one family at a time. Taking in dogs sometimes feels like we're just slapping a band-aid on a gaping wound. But then, you see these little wins, like getting the mom spayed, and it feels like maybe, just maybe, we're getting somewhere.

We shared the Mascot litter's story because it's more than just about a bunch of puppies. It's a call to action. Do you know someone with a dog that needs to be spayed or neutered? Refer them to our program, let’s get the dog fixed and continue to decrease the unwanted dog population.

22/11/2024

2024 marked fifteen years of existence for MN Pit Bull Rescue. That’s a decade and a half of dogs and adopters (and the fosters and volunteers who helped those matches become reality!), but also fifteen years of changing landscapes in pet ownership, volunteering, and the needs of the community around us. Donate today to help us reach our evolving goals and provide greater assistance to our community in the coming year!

*A special note- just like previous years, any donation of $100 or more will earn you a one of a kind MPBR sweatshirt. We’ll contact you the first week in December for your size and shipping address so be sure to enter your information on the donation page and check your spam folder in December if you don’t see something in your inbox.*

https://www.givemn.org/story/C9thig

"I met Tully (fka Messi, Soccer litter) when I volunteered to drive out to Wilmar, MN to pick up him and his three, four-month-old brothers. The vet said they were surrendered from what appeared to be a backyard breeder that couldn’t sell the last three puppies. The shelter where they were surrendered to agreed, to take them and spay mom on the same day. With that deal in place, the puppies then came to MN Pit Bull Rescue for adoption placement.

All three were big boys, super cute, a little timid, but so loving when they warmed up to you. Despite having to stop three times to clean their crate because they “messed” in the kennel they were still all such great puppies with such happy demeanors. I met Laura for the exchange so she could take them to their prearranged fosters and thought that would be the last I saw of them. Luckily, a temp foster situation ended up being needed right away. I told my wife, Jen, that we HAD to take this boy in even if it’s only for a few days!! We immediately went back out pick him up and it was love at first sight for Jen. He immediately settled into her arms and he gave her this goofy smile that he gives you when he’s happy and the whole ride home he smiled that way.

When we got him home, he was such an unbelievably good boy. He just wanted to sit with Jen in her chair outside and watch the day go by. As the day went on, we realized Tully just fit with this family. He got along great with our first MPBR adopted dog, Seamus, was very gentle for his size, obedient, walked perfectly on a leash, and seemed very happy to be with us. I emailed Laura the next day asking if we can extend our temporary foster status to see if he was a good fit for our home, which she happily agreed to. If I’m being honest, we knew he’d be a good fit, we just didn’t want to seem too eager and adopt him right away. We wanted it to appear like we were being rational about this decision but the reality is we were in love with this big guy and it seemed like he loved us back.

How his previous owner couldn’t sell him (or his brothers) is a complete mystery to me. Tully is a big, handsome pup that only wants to love you and smother you in that love. His temperament, his attitude, his activity level is all perfect for us. Being able to foster for that week really allowed us to get to know him better and see that he was right for us. We are thankful every day he’s with us and can’t thank MPBR enough for bringing him into our lives!!" -Foster turned Adopter x2, Mark

Happy Give to the Max 2024, it's the MOST important day of the year for our rescue!

22/11/2024

2024 marked fifteen years of existence for MN Pit Bull Rescue. That’s a decade and a half of dogs and adopters (and the fosters and volunteers who helped those matches become reality!), but also fifteen years of changing landscapes in pet ownership, volunteering, and the needs of the community around us. Donate today to help us reach our evolving goals and provide greater assistance to our community in the coming year!

*A special note- just like previous years, any donation of $100 or more will earn you a one of a kind MPBR sweatshirt. We’ll contact you the first week in December for your size and shipping address so be sure to enter your information on the donation page and check your spam folder in December if you don’t see something in your inbox.*

https://www.givemn.org/story/C9thig

Abandonment: it’s an unfortunate truth in the animal welfare community. Shelters are full and the wait-lists for surrender appointments can take over 3 weeks in many locations. Where is a family to go when they need to surrender more quickly? Sadly, for the animals, sometimes abandonment is the only option people feel is available to them in a moment of crisis.

The Twins litter came to us from South St. Paul. They were abandoned in a crate together at a park. Thankfully, the person who found them called local authorities and the four puppies were picked up quickly. Miranda, Sands, Kepler, and Buxton were filthy (multiple baths were needed), had overgrown nails, and varying degrees of sores, scabs, and infections. Thanks to our dedicated fosters, we were able to get these pups into foster homes, tend to their medical needs, get them healthy and all have found forever homes. From being left crammed in a crate at a park to loving homes—it’s an outcome we all can appreciate!

21/11/2024

2024 marked fifteen years of existence for MN Pit Bull Rescue. That’s a decade and a half of dogs and adopters (and the fosters and volunteers who helped those matches become reality!), but also fifteen years of changing landscapes in pet ownership, volunteering, and the needs of the community around us. Donate today to help us reach our evolving goals and provide greater assistance to our community in the coming year!

*A special note- just like previous years, any donation of $100 or more will earn you a one of a kind MPBR sweatshirt. We’ll contact you the first week in December for your size and shipping address so be sure to enter your information on the donation page and check your spam folder inDecember if you don’t see something in your inbox.*

https://www.givemn.org/story/C9thig

Sometimes in rescue we get contacted about a dog in need, but we aren’t in a position to take that dog fully into our program. It can be as simple as lack of fosters, or other times there are certain criteria that aren’t met, yet we believe the dog deserves the chance to find their match. This is where the cross post--one of the four pillars of community support we are focusing on this coming year--comes in! Mia was one such dog this past year. We have no clue what her early life was like or how she ended up by herself, but she stumbled upon amazing Good Samaritans that became her dedicated caretakers and advocates.

“Mia showed up on our doorstep last November, when my husband and I were in the middle of selling our home and moving. She literally showed up on our front porch early one Sunday morning!” With no luck in finding an owner, Emily and Rad didn’t want to just drop her at a shelter either, as they worried about her chances in that setting. “Two of our dogs are fifteen years old and the other two are nine years old, so this was a change, being that she looked to be one or two (according to our vet). We named her Mia, since she appeared to be Missing In Action from her last home.”

Despite some good interactions, problems did develop between Mia and one of their resident dogs. “We realized they just couldn't get along together in the same household, but thankfully we intervened before things escalated. I connected with MN Pit Bull Rescue and explained our unique situation.” This was one of those cases where we couldn’t make Mia a program dog, but we joined Emily and Rad in the faith that there was an owner out there for her, so she became a cross-post dog.

“We acted as her foster home, caring for her while we waited for the right application. We are forever grateful to the rescue for providing us with help in finding Mia her forever home. It killed us that we couldn't provide the right environment for her, but now, she's the only dog in her household and is loving all the attention, according to her new mom! This was a great lesson for us in understanding that not all dogs can live happily together and get along. Some need different environments to thrive and that's perfectly OK! We were so honored to be a part of Mia's journey.”

Mia’s person did find her listing and much of the same rigor went into determining if the match had good potential as with any of our program dogs. Abby, her adopter, says “Mia is doing awesome. She really is settling in well and I'm really getting to see more and more of her personality. So far, her nicknames are Mimi and Mia-girl. She is the goofiest dog, the biggest cuddle bug and is very fond of our walks!” She's even been able to play with a family member's dog and meet kids, two things that have likely been successful because of the good match she made with her adopter and the relationship they have built. “I'm loving having this sweet girl in my life. I couldn't imagine my life without her.”

If Mia’s story warms your heart, we have another gal currently waiting for her match, with a whole neighborhood community supporting her! They would love to see Brooklyn find her person or family…maybe just in time for the holidays?!

21/11/2024

2024 marked fifteen years of existence for MN Pit Bull Rescue. That’s a decade and a half of dogs and adopters (and the fosters and volunteers who helped those matches become reality!), but also fifteen years of changing landscapes in pet ownership, volunteering, and the needs of the community around us. Donate today to help us reach our evolving goals and provide greater assistance to our community in the coming year!

*A special note- just like previous years, any donation of $100 or more will earn you a one of a kind MPBR sweatshirt. We’ll contact you the first week in December for your size and shipping address so be sure to enter your information on the donation page and check your spam folder in December if you don’t see something in your inbox.*

https://www.givemn.org/story/C9thig

Let me tell you about this amazing momma and her 10 beautiful babies- Copper + “Famous On Screen Litter”.

In April 2024, we were presented with the opportunity to take in Momma Copper and her ten babies who were just around 10 days old. We quickly said YES! This girl was originally brought to one of our shelter partners in Minnesota by her then owner who was unaware she was pregnant when she got her. She was not in a position to keep this sweet family so was able to get them to the shelter and then on to Minnesota Pit Bull Rescue. She would take momma back after her babies were old enough to separate. The shelter would work with her to have her spayed and returned back to her owner.

Transport was arranged to pick her up and we were immediately in LOVE. Momma was full of smiles and the sweetest ever and babies were an itty bitty pile of snuggles. This crew settled in to their nursery room/space and we quickly learned that momma Copper was a fantastic caregiver to all 10 of her puppies. She did not miss a beat feeding them, cleaning them, teaching them manners.

This group was the “Famous On Screen Litter” These 7 boys: Scooby, Bolt, Fang, Pluto. Marley, Goofy and Astro and 3 girls: Skye, Rosebud and Chloe were all so unique in color, markings and personality that their foster momma referred to them as her “variety pack.” This group would stay together until they reached at least 8 weeks old.

The puppies had several families meet them. With the help of our volunteers assisting in wrangling them in the yard and answering questions we were able to meet some amazing adopters. Um, by the way, if you do volunteer to assist with the wrangling you may become one of the adopters, as was the case with this litter. Remember – they may pick you. We love it when they do.

Fostering a litter of this size means a lot of blankets, toys, probiotics, puppy milk replacement, puppy pads and kibble. LOTS of kibble. Do you know a momma dog feeding her babies can easily eat 8 cups of food daily along with supplements for additional nutrition. And then add on the vetting x11.

All ten of these puppies went to their forever home. Momma Copper remained with us as it did not work for her to return to her previous home. Copper is a great dog and currently in one of our foster homes where she is enjoying being loved, cared for and attending training while she waits patiently to find the perfect family. If you are looking for an adult female, Copper may be the perfect match!

21/11/2024

2024 marked fifteen years of existence for MN Pit Bull Rescue. That’s a decade and a half of dogs and adopters (and the fosters and volunteers who helped those matches become reality!), but also fifteen years of changing landscapes in pet ownership, volunteering, and the needs of the community around us. Donate today to help us reach our evolving goals and provide greater assistance to our community in the coming year!

*A special note- just like previous years, any donation of $100 or more will earn you a one of a kind MPBR sweatshirt. We’ll contact you the first week in December for your size and shipping address so be sure to enter your information on the donation page and check your spam folder in December if you don’t see something in your inbox.*

https://www.givemn.org/story/C9thig

Chi Chi is a dog we took into rescue back in June, she has been with us almost 6 months and is still searching for her forever! She loves others dogs, currently attends AND LOVES dog daycare (Shout out- The Chase - Dog Daycare • Hotel • Spa) and would greatly benefit from a family that can provide her with structure, training, and socialization.

"When Chihiro (Chi Chi) first came to us, she was a big ball of nerves! And rightfully so! She was leaving the only home she had ever known and came to a stranger’s house to start the next chapter of her life. But little did she know, this is where she would begin to experience new things, new people, new places, and become a different dog than when she first arrived. At first, she did not love my husband, and was extremely timid around him. Toys were foreign and unfamiliar, especially while interacting with our resident dog. Walks were the wild, wild west! And we had a long way to go on her leash walking skills. And cats...cats were VERY intriguing. But with time and patience, we allowed Chi Chi to open up, at her pace. We worked on her leash walking skills in short intervals and built up slowly. My husband became less and less scary by the day and she was snuggling with him by the end. We found her niche in the toy world and playing with our dog became more frequent. She even eventually became friendly with the cats! We couldn't be prouder of sweet Chi Chi and her journey so far. She truly wants to be your best friend and her forever family will be so lucky to have her." – Chi Chi’s first foster, Sarah

Chi Chi’s story reminds of so much of the power of volunteering, and fostering specifically. It may not show some ground-breaking transformation like what tends to grab our attention, but she is being given skills in living with a family that she previously didn’t possess. This is such an amazing gift, both for the dog and for their eventual adoptive family! We can’t thank our foster homes enough for their day-in and day-out efforts; they truly make such an outstanding difference.

21/11/2024

2024 marked fifteen years of existence for MN Pit Bull Rescue. That’s a decade and a half of dogs and adopters (and the fosters and volunteers who helped those matches become reality!), but also fifteen years of changing landscapes in pet ownership, volunteering, and the needs of the community around us. Donate today to help us reach our evolving goals and provide greater assistance to our community in the coming year!

*A special note- just like previous years, any donation of $100 or more will earn you a one of a kind MPBR sweatshirt. We’ll contact you the first week in December for your size and shipping address so be sure to enter your information on the donation page and check your spam folder in December if you don’t see something in your inbox.*

https://www.givemn.org/story/C9thig

“Hercules (fka Karim, Soccer litter) and his two brothers came to MN Pit Bull Rescue from an animal shelter in Willmar, MN. Herc was just under 4 months old when I started fostering him, and his demeanor made it clear that he’d had very little socialization with humans or other animals up to that point. He was very shy and scared of just about everything. He spent the first few days following me wherever I went, exploring the house and yard, and watching my two cats and adult pit bull, Baloo (adopted from MN Pit Bull Rescue), from a distance. It took about a week for him to decide that Baloo was his new best friend, and then his personality really started showing! Hercules started socializing with my cats, running and wrestling with Baloo in the yard, and became more and more comfortable on our daily walks. As he gained confidence, I started inviting family and friends over to meet him. He was terrified of new people at first, but he got more and more brave as the introductions continued.

The animals and I very quickly fell in love with Hercules. Within a couple weeks of him coming to us as a foster, I realized that he’d found his forever home with us. We started taking classes at Canine Coach, where a wonderful trainer gave me a lot of advice on how to socialize him without overwhelming him, and how I could adjust my behavior to help him keep building confidence. We’re still training at home every day to make sure he stays sharp with his basic commands, and I’ve slowly been introducing new commands to him. I’m excited to get him into more training classes to keep building confidence and skills, and to keep strengthening the bond between us. Hercules has been coming with me to run errands, and that’s been very helpful with socializing him to people! He knows that when he goes on a trip to a dog-friendly store, he gets lots of treats from very nice people.

Hercules is happy, silly, and incredibly affectionate, and he’s getting more confident and adventurous every day! I’m so grateful to have found MN Pit Bull so that I had the opportunity to meet Hercules and his big sister Baloo. I can’t imagine my life without them!” -Foster turned Adopter, Maggie

We love that foster/adopter Maggie highlights the importance of training and how it has impacted their life together. We love to hear such stories and it just furthers our belief in training as an integral part of a life well lived for all dogs and adopters.

21/11/2024

2024 marked fifteen years of existence for MN Pit Bull Rescue. That’s a decade and a half of dogs and adopters (and the fosters and volunteers who helped those matches become reality!), but also fifteen years of changing landscapes in pet ownership, volunteering, and the needs of the community around us. Donate today to help us reach our evolving goals and provide greater assistance to our community in the coming year!

*A special note- just like previous years, any donation of $100 or more will earn you a one of a kind MPBR sweatshirt. We’ll contact you the first week in December for your size and shipping address so be sure to enter your information on the donation page and check your spam folder in December if you don’t see something in your inbox.*

https://www.givemn.org/story/C9thig

Our Give to the Max 2024 cover dog this year is Mocha.

"When we got the notification about Mocha, especially having a tri-pawd dog ourselves, we knew we had to step up for this sweet girl. We then got Mocha a mere thirty-two hours after her amputation surgery, and the road to recovery began. She was 10 months old at the time and had already been through so much, but you would have never guessed it by her absolute sweet demeanor and determination. After two weeks of medications, lots of rest, and the dreaded cone-of-shame, she had an appointment to remove her staples and was free to slowly start resuming normal activities! And boy was she ready! We finally got to see her true personality come out and she finally got to be the puppy she so very much deserved to be. She became the happiest, goofiest girl I've ever seen. And a missing back leg? What back leg?! Didn't stop her! It was so rewarding being a part of her recovery journey, and ultimately getting adopted by the most amazing couple who spoil her rotten. It truly gives us meaning in what we do at MNPBR." -Mocha’s foster, Sarah

21/11/2024

2024 marked fifteen years of existence for MN Pit Bull Rescue. That’s a decade and a half of dogs and adopters (and the fosters and volunteers who helped those matches become reality!), but also fifteen years of changing landscapes in pet ownership, volunteering, and the needs of the community around us. Donate today to help us reach our evolving goals and provide greater assistance to our community in the coming year!

*A special note- just like previous years, any donation of $100 or more will earn you a one of a kind MPBR sweatshirt. We’ll contact you the first week in December for your size and shipping address so be sure to enter your information on the donation page and check your spam folder in December if you don’t see something in your inbox.*

https://www.givemn.org/story/C9thig

On a summer evening in Minneapolis, these two puppies were found wondering around alone. Did they escape their backyard, were they the last of the litter that had been let go because they didn't sell, or... The list of possible reasons these two were out adventuring by themselves goes on, but what we do know is that they stumbled upon a great human, who helped set their course in a better direction.

The finder knew a volunteer through MPBR and reached out. An hour later, they were on their way to their foster home. Unfortunately, stray dog rescue doesn’t always work that way—thankfully this time we had available foster homes ready to take them in. The alternative would have been a trip to animal control, where they would have been on a five-day stray hold in a kennel environment not cut out for puppy needs, then awaiting rescue placement or adoption. We’re so glad for these two that they instead got to go into foster care with loving homes.

Meatball was adopted by our fifth adopter from Canada. We always find it so amazing that a family would travel such a distance to adopt a puppy! Stories like Meatball’s are one of the examples of why we don’t believe in geographic limitations when it comes to adoptions. Meatball has started his training class and is doing really well with his new family.

Hippo was adopted by one of our previous adopters, turned foster, turned foster “fail.” Nothing better than fostering until you find that perfect second dog for your family.

21/11/2024

Happy Give to the Max 2024, it's the MOST important day of the year for our rescue! This is our biggest fundraiser of the year and helps keep our little rescue going into the next year. Join us today as we share with you our new program goals, reminisce about some of our 2024 program dogs and help us reach our financial challenge to raise $20,000. *A special note- just like previous years, any donation of $100 or more will earn you a one of a kindMPBR sweatshirt. We’ll contact you the first week in December for your size and shippingaddress so be sure to enter your information on the donation page and check your spam folder inDecember if you don’t see something in your inbox. *

https://www.givemn.org/story/C9thig

2024 marked fifteen years of existence for MN Pit Bull Rescue. That’s a decade and a half of dogs and adopters (and the fosters and volunteers who helped those matches become reality!), but also fifteen years of changing landscapes in pet ownership, volunteering, and the needs of the community around us. If you’ve followed along, you’ve probably noticed that not as many dogs are joining us and being adopted; It’s a difficult challenge for an organization with “rescue” in the title to not be doing as much, well, rescue. We do hope to return to those roots in the future, but for now, we are experiencing a pivot and we are hoping our supporters will join us in this endeavor, just as they have stepped up for us in so many ways throughout the past fifteen years.

While we are limiting our dog intakes for a time, we are looking to focus our efforts in four areas to support MN dog owners:
*Vetting Assistance
*Food, Supplies, & Housing
*Foster Dogs and Owner Surrender Cross Posts (supporting the dogs currently in our program and considering owner surrender cross posts to facilitate placement of non-program dogs)
*Training Scholarship Assistance

Most of these are pretty self-explanatory. Our final piece, training, has always been part of the backbone of our organization. It’s been a requirement in our adoption contracts because we feel strongly in the power of training to build foundations between dogs and owners and to also help troubleshoot many of the challenges that can occur for dogs and owners over their time together. Many of our owner surrender requests are often due to issues that can be helped with access to quality training. In our efforts to support the other end of the leash—the human end—we are opening back up our training scholarship program. It will be open to anyone in MN. Our hope is that in supporting the dog-owning community around us, we will see fewer surrenders and keep more dogs home ultimately.

Our Give to the Max fundraising this year is going to focus on these elements that we plan to give to the community. Simply getting dogs into homes doesn’t feel as good when we see such high needs being unmet for those dogs once they are adopted. Matching dogs and adopters is the work we love and how we started, and we do genuinely hope that our journey takes us back there soon. We’re not content to sit back and accept our current limitations or those in the community that have led to this decision though! The goals laid out above will only be possible with funding to provide for these needs, so please join us in saying “yes” to the greater dog-owning community, so that we can get back to saying “yes” to more dogs in need soon.

Happy Give to the Max 2024, it's the MOST important day of the year for our rescue!

18/11/2024

Chi Chi moved foster homes and we have found that if the cat is dog savvy, she can coexist just fine!

Today also kicks off our Give to the Max 2024 week with the big day of giving on Thursday! *A special note- just like previous years, any donation of $100 or more will earn you a one of a kind MPBR sweatshirt.

https://www.givemn.org/story/C9thig

14/11/2024

Copper celebrated Halloween with the perfect costume and an orange ball that could double as a pumpkin if you don’t look careful enough.
*If you have a good throwing arm and don’t mind a pumpkin colored ball, Copper is your gal!

12/11/2024

Oakley knows it’s getting cold out but he is hoping to have a new home by the time it is fly catching season as he is pretty good at it!

10/11/2024

Support Sunday is here and early giving has started for Give to the Max 2024. Read more about how our program will change in 2025.

* A special note- just like previous years, any donation of $100 or more will earn you a one of a kind MPBR sweatshirt.

https://www.givemn.org/story/C9thig

08/11/2024

Chi Chi is wondering if you have a dog that also participates in Frog Leg Friday? Maybe they could hang out together… like daily?

05/11/2024

Tongue Out Tuesday brought to you by Oakley. L

I LOVE going on walks and runs! I’ve even spent some time on the Superior Hiking Trail, and everyone says I have great trail manners! Life is great, and I can’t wait to share it with you!

04/11/2024

Congrats to our October 2024 adopters and to Nordy and TC Bear who found their forever!