BUFFALO'S BULLY BRAG BOOK
This is a special place to collect stories and memories of our favorite breed. We will design a calendar from some hand picked stories from this collection. Please feel free to share your pictures and stories about your beloved bullies.
Send your "Bully Brags" to info@educateabull.org
Pit Bull type dogs certainly have it tough these days. They are mistreated, abused, misjudged, and misunderstood by most and definately feared by way too many.
The bullies below are simply amazing because they have survived the worst of starts, but have remained forgiving, devoted and optimistic through it all!
Now they are loved, adored and cherished, not to mention SPOILED! Their owners saw past the negative stories and media hype to open their hearts and homes to these beautiful bullies. We are so proud of these devoted, loving and responsible owners.
AND THE WONDERFUL LIVES THAT THEY HAVE SAVED OR
SHARE THEIR LIVES WITH.
Enjoy!
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Our story..... because of them, educate a bull was born
First came along Tobias aka Mr.T
I wanted to tell my story on how I fell in love with the bully breeds and in turn how educate a bull was founded. While I was working as a trainer at the SPCA, along came a handsome 8 week old bull mastiff mix pup named "Colby". He was big and brown and full of it! I instantly feel in love with him, he was fearless! Many of my collegues thought he should have been euthanized for his dominance and size. Boy, did he teach me a lot. Seven years later, he has been by my side through so much- devoted, strong, loving and loyal.
Toby is a pure presence.... the love of my life.
In 2003, after seeing so many bully breeds like Toby be misjudged, behaviorally misdiagnosed, and having no other alternative than euthanization, educate a bull was born. I credit my experience with the big guy in helping more dogs like him.
Then there were two...... "Stella"
In March of 2008, educate a bull rescued eight pit pups that were abandoned in a horse barn. It was freezing cold out and they needed help. We drove many miles to retrieve these eight pups- what a road trip! As soon as I laid eyes on her, I knew she would be Toby's new little sister.
She is the perfect addition to our family. She loves my nieces,nephews, my family and everyone she meets- and can't get enough of her big brother; Toby.
I really could not imagine life without a "bully" or two,
Beth Ann and the BULL-DAWGS
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Little Miss Zoe Bowie
In the spring of 2002 I was planning to move to a new apartment. I would FINALLY be allowed to have a dog in my new pad. I immediately applied at the Buffalo Animal Shelter to adopt and was patiently waiting to hear back about a golden retriever mix. In the meantime, one chilly morning, I heard a whimpering outside my back window. I looked into the backyard of my current apartment and saw the cutest little red dog. She was dressed in a black coat and orange reflective collar, sitting on a recliner. I went outside and she immediately ran to me with her tail wagging feverishly. She gave me tons of kisses and was snuggling up to me. Her eyes were so beautiful, almost the same carmel color as her coat. She had a tag with the name of my landlady and the local pet store around the corner. When I called my landlady she told me that she found this beautiful pup abandoned in Delaware Park. She was only 8 months old, had apparently just had puppies and had been abandon in the park. They were trying to find her a home. I went into work that day telling everyone that I may have found a new dog. I asked a few people what they thought about pit bulls. Most of them, dog owners themselves and definately sane folks that I trust, told me that it all depends on how you raise your dog. They said that the breed does not matter. I am a firm believer in this philosophy and vehemently agreed. That afternoon when I came home I played with the pup in the yard. She reacted the same way and I felt a strong sense of connection to her. When I left to go to work I looked in the rearview mirror and saw the little red dog running down the street after me. She had fenagled her way out of the yard and was in hot pursuit of me. I brought her back to the yard THREE times but she just kept following. I finally secured the yard and left for work. It was at that point that I knew I wanted this dog to be part of my family. I made arrangements with my current landlady who was okay with me keeping her since she had found her. I only had 2 weeks left before we moved into our new home. We have been together ever since. She is 6 years old now. Zoe has truly been a blessing in my life. She has helped me through some very difficult years recently. Always licking away my tears and making me laugh daily. Her tail still wags like crazy; my friend's kids call it the weedwacker. Her eyes are so gentle, and I can often tell what she is thinking. I am sure that she is an old soul like I am . That next winter I took Zoe to Winter Fest at Delaware Park. We entered and won the kissing contest, I think because the gals from Educte a Bull were hooting and hollering for the Pit Bull to win. It was then that I embarked on a new journey as a volunteer with Educate a Bull and became even more involved the plight of the Pit Bull dog.
Billy Buddha
In 2004 I began to volunteer for EAB. One of my first assignments was helping with a resource and adoption event at a local pet store. We brought some of the pups that were up for adoption and I was in charge of handling one of the puppies. His name was Billy and he was a little ball of energy. He was striped like a little tiger and had beautiful dark eyes to match. I have always loved brindle colored dogs. EAB had rescued he and his brother Bobby when they were a few months old from the Buffalo Animal Shelter. They were being boarded at a local vet hospital and in desperate need of a foster home. After spending the day with this silly little guy I decided that I would like to start fostering. Zoe had been to many play groups as well as doggy daycare and was in needed of a playmate. When I brought him home Zoe and Billy took one look at each other and took off running in the yard. They romped and played and kissed. When we went inside they both hopped up on the couch and he layed right on top of her and fell asleep. Billy also got along well with our cats Bailey and Nala. The cats of course did not appreicate the barrage of constant kisses from the tag team! That night they both slept in bed with me, Zoe next to me under the covers and Billy at the foot of the bed under the covers. They became fast friends that week. While out one night telling my friends about Billy someone asked "how will you give him up when he finds a home?". Going into the fostering process, I knew it would be difficult but I also had good perspective and knowledge on how important it is to help a dog find the right owner. With Billy, even though it was our first foster experience, I somehow knew that he was going to be a part of our family. It was the same feeling that I had with Zoe. When I looked into his eyes, I knew that he too was an old soul like Zoe and myself. We were all soulmates, destined to be together forever. The next day I called Beth at EAB and told her that I was a failed foster parent. She asked what was wrong and what had happened. I told her that I wanted to adopt Billy. She said that I had not failed at all. Although I could not bring any fosters in after that, I provided a dog in need with his forever home and in turn created our forever family. Billy is now four years old. He is still full of energy and is such an amazing force in my life. He also makes me laugh everday and gives great kisses. I often wonder how on earth John Grogan, who wrote Marely and Me, cornered the market on crazy dog stories before I had the chance. I still need to write a book about this pair. We have had so many adventures and laughs throughout the years. I love having them in my life and am excited for many more years of memories and continuing on this journey together. I proudly tell people that I own two Pit Bulls. I also help to educate the people around me in the process and am continually striving to dispel all the myths and the negative stigma. They are truly amazing, loyal, loving dogs and I am proud to have them in my life.
Thanks for sharing our story,
Carissa, Zoe & Billy
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Dot
I have a soft spot for animals in need. I previously owned a pitbull named Lucky who I brought home from Virginia who needed a home. Unfortunately Lucky passed away and I said no more dogs. I received an email from Beth about a Dog Wash she was having and on her website she had a picture of a bully named DOT who needed a home. I figured well
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Honey's Story
Honey was rescued from NYC with a neck injury (supposedly someone had no use for her anymore) and She was very thin and scared. She had an upper respiratory infection also. They were so impressed with her temperament there they knew she could be saved and loved.
The thought that someone could intentionally cut a dog’s throat, especially one so beautiful and loving is preposterous.
She was not housetrained or cratetrained, in fact she would only got to the bathroom in her crate, not outside. You can only imagine what kind start she had to her life.
When she came to me she was so excited and HAPPY all the time she was always wagging her tail. I should say beating her tail so she developed "happy tail" and needed to have it amputated. Another rescue stepped up and helped Honey out, one that her new family is a volunteer with, Buffalo Humane. They got Honey in right away to a local vet for yet another procedure for Honey. She never showed any aggression or even fear towards anyone, she never had to be muzzled for any of the trips to the vet, she really is the happiest dog. It is amazing how trusting she can be. I do not know how trusting a human would be if they went through all the things Honey did. I noticed that she tried so hard to be a good girl; she is eager to please and wants to be with us.
She is wonderful with my foster dogs and they play with toys and can even eat together, Honey has never shown aggression to them at all.. it truly is amazing. Honey has come along way but has a great future ahead of her. She is currently in obedience classes with
She is a diamond in the rough and I cannot wait until she shines. I want people to know this is what a Pit Bull is all about.
So many people have helped Honey along the way and I would like to thank all of them.
Dawn and Family
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ESCO
Nowadays it's not uncommon to hear a couple say we met online. Well that's how I met Esco, his picture was there and when I read his description something inside clicked.
I wasn't ready to adopt a new dog yet but he stuck in my mind. I kept going on line and he was still there waiting for a new home. Four months later I called about him and the rest is history. He has become a integral part of our family.
Thank you Beth and everyone for the work you do.
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Piggy aka Drey-Jim White and Family
He was bought by a neighbor whose son "wanted a dog" for his birthday.
This 7 or 8 week old fur ball looked like a little potbellied pig. They
named him Dre after Dr. Dre, the rapper from the 90's. All was fine for
several months. Then one day we saw him chained to a fence post on the
property line between us. He was fed only table scraps and bones. They
gave him water if and when they thought of it. Little by little we asked
and were allowed to assure that he had fresh water and we were later
allowed to supplement his diet with some halfway decent dog food.
They both worked so when he broke his chain from a swing set(frequently)
and climbed over a 4' chain link fence to escape, my wife was the one
who went to corral him and bring him back. One day I found an old broken
tow chain with small links. I put new ends on it and that became his
chain, so that he would got get away and possibly run over.
He was provided no shelter from the weather. A neighbor whose lawn I
mowed had a nice unused doghouse in her back yard. So I kept begging her
and she finally gave it to me. That was accepted by the neighbor too.
We became his primary caregivers and the owners no longer fed him. The
kid tired of the dog and never played with him. The dog's only attention
was when the man came home and fed the dog a piece of lunch sandwich he
had saved. So we would play with him and talk to him. And we would
take him treats so assure that he got the attention that he deserved.
Over the winter, my wife would climb over the fence and make sure the
dog had dry bedding. We put a flap over the doghouse door to keep the
heat in. Dog Was NEVER let in their house. I talked MANY times to Animal
Control Services, but if they took him, the dog would have been
euthanized, as pits and pit mixes were not allowed to be adopted. With
us the dog was always sweet and very friendly, so we kept caring for
him, knowing that he deserved better than he was getting.
Summer came and we were allowed to bring him to our yard for occasional
baths and to play with our dogs. We were even allowed to take him to
rabies clinics for free shots!! The flap came off the doghouse and a
good sized vent hole was cut in the back.
Around his 8th birthday, a huge tree crashed down destroying their
garage. I ran into the resulting mess to find the dog safe and sound
laying in his doghouse. We took him into our yard and brought along his
chain to keep him from running off. We took an old wire dog crate out
and covered it with a tarp to give him temporary protection.
The next day when the insurance adjuster arrived, we heard him yelling
about the dog being there. Apparently, the owners had told the company
they had gotten rid of the dog 6 months earlier. Nationwide Insurance
discriminates against Pits, Rotts, and Dobes. They told him he had 24
hours to get rid of the dog or lose his homeowners insurance.
They asked us if we would take him and we did. We got him to sign a
legal document making the dog ours. Within minutes, I was at the local pet store and bought a 6'x10' portable kennel.
Within the next 2 weeks, my wife converted him from a chained outdoor
dog to a housebroken house pet. We had got him neutered for free through
a local rescue group, since we had originally intended to foster.
Instead, we fell in love with him and had to keep him. We added a 'y'
to his name to make it Drey. Within 6 months, we began calling him
Piggy, because he grunts like a pig at times and sometimes when he snores.
Folks from the rescue group said that he would likely be VERY protective
of us and our property. Apparently, rescues so appreciate their second
chance, that they will defend their new owners and territory with their
lives.
About a week later, the neighbor's wife said that her son missed the dog
and wanted to see him. I told her to come to the back gate and we would
bring him outside. When we let him out and they called him, the dog ran
to the chain link fence and wanted to attack them! To this day, no
strangers can come in our house and get near any of us without that
behavior. But yet we can take him out ANYWHERE and he is the perfect
gentleman. We've even taken him back to visit the rescue group. All of
the other dogs start barking when they see him, but Piggy just looks
around wondering what all the noise is about!! He loves to go for rides
in the car and never barks at anyone. And he's happiest when he is with
one or more of us. He loves to lay belly up or laying ON our feet. He
also loves to lay in the sun. You may notice in pictures that his left
eye is blue and the right is brown. In our eyes, that just makes him
more special!!
June of 2009 will celebrate four years of having him with us and we
don't know what we would do without him!!