Tag: 1-Day Animal Rescue/Shelter Giveaway

It’s pretty easy to figure out. Just about all of Best Bully Sticks company branding features an adorable little pug. So when Pug Rescue of Florida won our 1-Day Animal Shelter/Rescue Giveaway, it just sort of made sense. We have a soft spot for pugs because they helped launch our company, so we loved having the opportunity to donate to Pug Rescue of Florida. Read more about this rescue below.

When & Why did you start?
Pug Rescue of Florida is the result of the merger of two rescues about three years ago: Tampa Pug Rescue and Orlando Pug Rescue and Adoption. We exist for the sole purpose of finding caring, safe, and loving permanent homes for rescued, displaced, and homeless dogs of the Pug breed regardless of age or condition. PROoF operates through an organized network of volunteers and sustains itself through both fund-raising efforts and the generous financial support of private individuals and commercial entities.

What's different about your rescue?
We cover most of the state and have volunteers all over. Last year we helped 355 pugs. Home checks, vet checks and reference checks are done on all foster and adoptive homes. We also use a pug kissing booth at our events!

What is the greatest success story or "win" that your rescue has had?
Our greatest success story would be the adoption of some of our special needs and senior pugs like Cubby who had spinal surgery and Captain a senior blind and deaf sweetheart of a boy who both found their forever homes just this year.

What's the most rewarding thing about working at your rescue?
The most rewarding thing would be finding forever homes for pugs who might not have had a chance at a happy life or have a second chance without the help of our all-volunteer base.

What can people do to help your rescue?
What can people do? We always need foster homes. However, since not everyone can foster, funds for medical expenses of course, as well as donations of food and flea and heartworm preventions. We also need transport volunteers to get pugs from one area to another, or from a foster home to the vet. Some of our foster homes are unable to get a pug to the vet during the week due to work etc. so that’s an area where transport is needed.

Our 10th annual Pugsgiving, is a fundraising/adoption event being held on November 10th this year. We currently need items for raffle and silent auction baskets; anything at all. It doesn’t even have to be dog related.

Thank you to Pug Rescue of Florida for their dedicated work and service to the animals of their community.

We have another 1-Day Animal Shelter/Rescue Giveaway in a couple weeks! Stay tuned to the BBS Facebook Page for our announcement!

It's that time again! TODAY ONLY Best Bully Sticks is holding a 1-Day Animal Shelter / Rescue Giveaway! These giveaways are open to those shelters that haven't won a donation from BBS in the last six months, and have actively participated in giveaways. Visit the OfferPop App on our Facebook Page to find out if your shelter made this list! The rescue with the most votes by 5pm est on July 3rd (today) will win $500 of BBS product! 

If your rescue doesn't appear on the list, please leave a comment below nominating your favorite Animal Rescue or Shelter. We will add your favored organization in our next giveaway. 

Simply put, Best Bully Sticks loves dogs. That is why BBS hold fun and engaging giveaways not only to giveaway our products to needy animals but to educate our fans on local shelters and their missions. 

Best Bully Sticks loves holding 1-Day Animal Shelter/Rescue Giveaways each month because we get to give away BBS product to support rescue efforts all over the country. Even though it is rewarding to give to a shelter, we also love being able to learn more about shelters ourselves and then sharing their struggles, stories and triumphs with our readers. This week we we’re profiling Recycled Pets NorCal, a rescue based out of Sacremento.  Co-founder Elsie Lodde told BBS more about their young but successful rescue group. Reyclced Pets NorCal won BBS’s 1-Day Giveaway just two weeks ago.

When & Why did you start?

I have unofficially been rescuing dogs for years. I would always find stray animals and take them and get them vetted and find them homes. Then a couple years ago, a friend (who is in rescue and moved across country) needed help with a local case, and so I was whisked into the world of rescue.  I was working for a national organization that only rescued specific animals, and I felt the constraints too limiting (because to me an animal in need is worthy of help regardless of whether it is in a shelter, in someone's backyard, or dumped along the side of the road) and so this year I began Recycled Pets NorCal (a sister rescue to Recycled Pets SoCal).

What's different about your rescue?

Well, unlike many rescuers we think locally.  We only adopt out to local families and we try to only rescue locally (occasionally there is a special case that may draw me to drive 400 miles but it is rare).  I never transport animals as I provide on-going support to my adopters and I am unable to do that if they are far away.  I am responsible for the lifetime of the animal and I take that seriously. I would have to say, I probably also have one of the youngest groups of volunteers and fosters than most rescues (likely due to the fact that I am only in my mid-30s).  And since I provide everything, younger people (who often cannot afford to pay for food, treats, or other necessary items) can get more involved.

What is the greatest success story or "win" that your rescue has had?

I take on a lot of medical cases, so for me there are many.  Arnie (the emaciated and chained bulldog) won my heart enough to not leave, Tyson had severe demodex mange, I have had puppies with all sorts of issues like being starved to death, abandoned, with parvo and all sorts of things. And a case from the end of last year, Otis, was the hardest.  He was born with a condition called PRAA, where his heart and esophagus were all wrapped up together so he was unable to eat and ended up with a secondary condition called Mega Esophagus. I worked so hard to save him, but surgeries were not good enough for the sweet boy- I miss him a lot.   They all have a special place in my heart. I say we need to treat them (and place them) like they are our own animals, because they deserve that.

What's the most rewarding thing about working at your rescue?

Perhaps this should be asked to one of my volunteers.  For me, it is taking an unwanted animal, that has been discarded, and helping it to find the right home for it.  I just appreciate animals' abilities to forget the past and forgive and move on to love again, I think humans really should take note of their ability to leave their baggage behind. Plus, I have met some amazing people doing rescue who also like animals as much as I do.

What can people do to help your rescue?

Since we only adopt locally, many people feel like they cannot spread the news. But help can be found in the most unusual places. Obviously we are always needing donations, whether that be monetary or for items such as puppy pads, food, bully sticks (which my rescues are spoiled with), formula, vaccines, and all sorts of items. Also just liking our Facebook page can do a lot of good. Sharing and even voting in contests like [1-Day Rescue/Shelter Giveaways] mean a lot.

A big thank-you to all that Recycled Pets NorCal does in their community: for the care of the animals in their community. Find out more about Recycled Pets NorCal on Facebook.

We have another 1-Day Animal Shelter/Rescue Giveaway in a couple weeks! Stay tuned to the BBS Facebook Page for our announcement! 

One vote can make all the difference—in a life or in a contest. Such is the case with Best Bully Sticks most recent 1-Day Animal Rescue/Shelter Giveaway. We seem to always have very close races, but this time around it was particularly close with only 1 vote difference separating the winning group.

In a way, BBS thinks that’s reminiscent of the nature of rescuing animals: it only takes 1 “vote” of confidence, care and courage by a willing participant to make a difference. In the case of our winners, Carolina Care Bullies, taking a chance on the “bully” breeds in North Carolina was all it took to make a difference. In today’s Rescue Spotlight we’ll take a look at CCB—their story and their successes—through the eyes of the organization’s president, Amanda Liston.

When & Why did you start?

We started in August 2009 after Terry [King] and I rescued and adopted our third pit bull, Spiderman. There was so much public support when we rescued him, and we noticed what a huge difference we could make in the lives of other pit bulls. There just wasn't a lot of activity geared towards getting pit bulls out of shelters and into good homes in our local area.

What's different about your rescue?

We are different because of the prejudice we face everyday due to the breed we fell in love with. Our foster parents need to work so much harder to present a great image of their dog because of the negative image the media presents. We have to really form a tight support system so we don't become discouraged or burnt out from the stereotypes we are constantly fighting.

What is the greatest success story or "win" that your rescue has had?

My favorite success story happened during our first year. We got a call about a dog abandoned in a house when the owner was incarcerated. We were very naive and at the time did not know what we had agreed to. Another volunteer and I went to the house and realized we were in a very unsafe part of town. But we were already there, and the dog was locked inside the house, alone, and it was a hot May afternoon. We found an open window and built a makeshift stool, lassoed the dog through the window, and pulled him out. So many things could have gone wrong, but we were very lucky. Once we got the dog out of the house, he didn't bark at all and was actually very friendly. He was also extremely underweight, missing fur, and covered in ticks. This was a dog that had been neglected long before his owner had left. Read more