Tag: Best Bully Sticks Donations

Rescue dogs just need a chance. That’s what the folks at Chance’s Haven dog rescue believe, making it their mission to rescue and “educate the public on the needs of these animals, until no one is left without a home and a loving family.” In and around their neighborhood of Gainesville, Texas, Chance’s Haven started with one beautiful dog named—you guessed it—Chance and now reach many dogs every year. BestBullySticks recently spoke with the rescue’s director, Karen Holland.

When & Why did you start?
Chance’s was formed after I saw the face of Chance the Great Dane on Facebook. I ended up being his foster and adopter but his face launched our rescue before he ever arrived. I had always rescued but in an unofficial capacity – we are very rural and the number of abandoned animals in this county is staggering. Chance’s face made me realize I needed to do more. Read Chance the Great Danes full story.

What's different about your rescue?
We take in all breeds and all behavior of dogs. We do not shy away from the pit – or take in just those we think will be adopted quickly. A dog remains with us until he finds his family. Until that time – we are his family, even if it ends up being permanent. We also take in the seniors that most will not. We have a doggy retirement home of sorts and hope to one day have a large facility for the seniors. When they pass they are laid to rest in our memorial garden. Read more

haven |ˈhāvən|, noun: a place of safety or refuge : a haven for wildlife.

Masthaven Mastiff Sanctuary believes that safety for their favorite giant breed dogs is a personal dedication that requires your full self. That’s why this rescue began--to give refuge and solace the full dog; their mind, body and soul and the people of Masthaven Mastiff Sanctuary commit themselves likewise. Read more about this Indiana rescue in BestBullySticks Rescue Spotlight on Masthaven Mastiff Sanctuary. 

When & Why did you start?
We have worked in rescue in one way or another for a very long time. We officially created our own Non-Profit Mastiff Sanctuary in Jan 2011 when we were searching for a fawn Mastiff to adopt. I had subscribed to many rescues and shelter feeds and made many great contacts. But we were flooded daily by neglected and abused Mastiffs and realized there was no centrally located rescue in our area for these Gentle Giants and as most people in our area were looking for small dogs, the Giants waiting in shelters were very hard to place and there was no where for them to go. As we continued to get notifications, we soon began coving our entire Tri-State of Indiana, Kentucky and Illinois and now network, rescue & place Mastiffs from Indiana and all surrounding states.

What's different about your rescue?
Our goals remain the same as any other rescue out there. Its all about saving innocent lives and finding wonderful loving homes for these big kids. People tell me that what makes us different is our personal bond and attachment to each one. We love them and mend their spirit and we stay involved for the rest of their lives. We have an open door policy that encourages new families to reach out for questions and assistance and we have been known to babysit when the family has to be out of town. We keep our numbers small enough so that we can give personalized attention to each unique Mastiff and we do not kennel here, so each one truly feels at home. It is always the Mastiff that sets the pace. They tell us when they are ready to adopt a forever family and we do not rush that. We are also very conscious of their sensitivity to change so we personally transport each of our babies and stay in that area to ensure their transition to the new home. Our last adoption took us to Louisiana which under normal circumstances would be too far, however when a Mastiff says that’s his or her perfect home, we listen. They haven’ t led us wrong yet!  Read more

If your dog is your baby then you understand the love and care put into raising a well-adjusted and happy dog. But what if your dog didn’t have you, then who would care for your baby? One rescue in Evansville, Indiana proves that sometimes it does “Take A Village” to raise a dog and bring them closer to their forever homes.

BestBullySticks.com spotlights It Takes A Village Canine Rescue, the winner of our most recent 1-Day Animal Shelter/Rescue Giveaway, and a rescue that runs the only no-kill shelter in their area. We talked with It Takes A Village’s Kelly Miller to learn more about this wonderful rescue.

When & Why did you start?
We started about 2 years ago to fill a need for rescue in our area. The numbers were astounding and we wanted to help cut down the drastic amount of euthanized animals.

What's different about your rescue?
For our city, we are the first and only no kill rescue, so our grand opening was a fairly historic event! We also operate a Thrift Shop out of the front of our rescue to serve as a fundraiser, which is a different concept for our area. Read more

Best Bully Sticks has the opportunity to highlight a very special animal rescue who’s main goal is to save “Death Row” dogs. Eleventh Hour Rescue starts many days like this:

Our day begins with logging onto our computer, only to find we have a mere 161 emails to read before finishing our morning cup of coffee. Some of the subject titles read, “Senior Hound, last day is today,” “Overflowing with Puppies,” “13 more left, please help,” “Shy girl, and 3 legged beagle due to be gassed Tuesday.” Imagine having such a death sentence being held over your head, opening email after email, seeing the faces of fluffy, highly adoptable puppies, a scared little Shepherd curled up in the corner of a dirty kennel, a Labrador with just a blur behind him where the camera couldn't capture how fast his tail was wagging.

Sometimes, well... no, most times, our eyes are welled up with tears, and the thoughts of: Where are we going to put them?  How will we pay for the transport?  What if one is heartworm positive, how will we pay for the treatment?  This is when we take a deep breath, email our volunteers, start brainstorming about fund raising ideas, rebalance the checkbook, and just end the morning with an emailed response of 'We'll take them all', backed only with one thought...

'We'll figure it out'.

---------

We talked with Elyse Langsett, EHR's Fundraising Director, after they won BBS’s most recent 1-Day Animal Shelter/Rescue Giveaway on Facebook. She elaborated on how this New Jersey rescue was started, their struggles and their successes. Read more

There must be something about California and Animal Rescues! All three of the past Best Bully Sticks 1-Day Animal Rescue/Shelter Giveaway winners have been from California! We’re glad West Coast pups are benefitting and we’re glad that we could help out! On July 17^th, Animal Compassion Team was added to the ranks of those winners. Hailing from Fresno, California, this rescue is a highly organized and well-networked group of people who are making a difference in their community and beyond. Best Bully Sticks talked with Brenda Mitchell, President of Animal Compassion team about their wonderful rescue. 

When & Why did you start? 
Animal Compassion Team (ACT) was founded in August 2009 by a group of like-minded individuals who were volunteering for the local high-kill animal control shelter and felt that there had to be a more humane and proactive solution to the animal control and care issues facing our community.  ACT founders set out to save as many lives as possible through rescue, adoption, spay/neuter, trap/neuter/release programs, and community education.

What's different about your rescue? 
ACT is a non-profit, all breed rescue.  We also engage in a variety of activities outside the normal "rescue & adopt" model, such as trap/neuter/release of some feral cats, community education, and "owner foster" programs in order to maximize our impact.  We are also run completely by volunteers, and have a group of approximately 80 foster parents who care for homeless animals.  We have successfully saved approximately 4,000 animals in the three years we have been operational. Read more