May 2020 Volunteer of the Month-
Meet Gail!
How
did you find out about Minnesota Pit Bull Rescue?
 |
| Matthew & Briana |
I cannot answer this question without telling a story. When my son
and daughter-in-law, Matthew and Briana Sherrer, moved to Texas in 2012, Briana
saw how overcrowded the animal shelters were there, and the high risk of
euthanasia they faced due to limited rescue options and low adoption rates. She
started to tag (a term used to "claim" a shelter dog as being pulled from the shelter) and rescue these animals, sending them to Minnesota non-profit
rescue organizations, where shelter over-population was not an issue.
 |
| Layla |
In July
2015, Briana sent me a picture of a tiny pittie puppy who had been in a TX
shelter for several weeks. We immediately decided we wanted to foster her
(Layla), but at the time Bri did not have a rescue partner in MN that accepted
pit bulls. Briana contacted her friend Marge Mullen, who was a MPBR volunteer,
who connected Bri with MPBR President, Laura Gray-Haug. Laura agreed to have
little Layla sponsored through the rescue. We received her from Texas a few
days later and fostered her until she was adopted by an MPBR volunteer. I
believe Layla has the distinction of being Texas Rescue Pittie #1 on the list
of many transports between the non-profit Passport for Paws in Texas (Briana
co-founded in 2017) and her new Minnesota partner, Minnesota Pit Bull Rescue.
Why
did you decide to volunteer for MPBR?
We had already fostered dogs (beagle terrier mixes) for other Twin
Cities rescue organizations. When we decided to foster Layla from Texas and
MPBR sponsored her, I got to know Laura. She was so passionate about rescuing
and being an advocate for the breed, that I wanted to do what I could to help.
Oh, yes, and we fell head over heels in love with pit bulls. Matt and Briana
had two (now three) and we were amazed at how loving and gentle they were (in
contrast to the stereotype we had been familiar with).
Do
you have any pets of your own?
Gracie, our beloved Texas pittie we fostered through MPBR in
October 2015. We adopted her shortly thereafter! She is a good companion to our
beagle terrier mix, Freddy, who we fostered and adopted in 2012 from Small Dog
Rescue of Minnesota.
 |
| Gracie & Freddy |
When
you're not surrounded by dogs, what can you be found doing?
I am a die-hard fan of two things: Minnesota Vikings and my four
grandchildren. I used to travel and explore different states and countries, but
now I only travel to Duluth and Dallas! As a family, we love to go boating
together.
Do
you have a favorite memory that happened while you were volunteering?
My favorite memories are
when I get to deliver a dog to its adoptive family. The joy of giving a
previously unwanted animal to a family who have their arms wide open is an
experience I will never forget.
Each month an active volunteer is featured on our website & receives a gift (or gift card) as a thank you. This is just a small way for us to show our appreciation for the dedication our volunteers have for this rescue. We are 100% volunteer based and we couldn’t do this without each and every one of our members ♥️
Interested in volunteering? Check out some info here.
Interested in volunteering? Check out some info here.
If you’re interested in helping us with the donation to our volunteers, click here.
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