11.18.21 Give to the Max Day 2021

As we approach the end of 2021 and are taking some time to reflect on all the dogs that we were able to help save, we want to say how grateful we are to have been able to get back out in the public again. We had missed being able to interact with the community and hold adoption events to educate more people and find great homes for some remarkable pit bulls. Although this year may have felt a little slower in terms of adoptions after a record breaking 2020, we are reminded of our faithful community who have helped us bring in 120 dogs to date. With the assistance of donations, fosters, volunteers, and adopters we have been able to make a difference in hundreds of dogs’ lives over the years.  

During today’s Give to the Max Day, follow along with us throughout the day to hear stories written by some of our fosters, volunteers, and adopters on a few of the faces that represent 2021 for MPBR. These tales will share some of the medical triumphs, tears, and special stories that we felt should be highlighted.  

Please note, any donation of $100 or more will earn you a one of a kind MPBR #GTM21 sweatshirt as a Thank You. We will contact you via e-mail after Give to the Max to ask your size and verify your address.

When you sign up to foster, you often don’t have a lot of information about the dog that will be coming into your home. The rescue does their absolute best to cover the basics (are they good with other dogs, cats, kids, potty trained, etc.), but sometimes there is just a lot of unknown. Insert Clyde. With one look, you see his big, adorably over-sized ears and you think, yup- typical puppy with a happy disposition. Once Clyde arrived from Texas, it became clear he needed more support than some other dogs. Clyde was extremely timid and needed help boosting his confidence around new people. We’re not sure of his past, but as we’ve said before, we believe a dog’s past does not define its future. With help from his knowledgeable foster and his new pack mates, Clyde was able to come out of his shell and trust those around him.

Seeing Clyde now compared to when he came into rescue is night and day. He stands with confidence and pride. Sure, he still needs guidance from his person on the end of his leash, but this is a huge improvement from the puppy who held his head down and backed away from touch. Clyde is a great example of a dog that didn’t need a lot of help financially due to medical bills. What he needed was someone willing to say yes, someone willing to put in the time and effort to help shape him into who he is today.

Clyde has been with us since June and has yet to land a forever home, but we remain hopeful. Clyde wasn’t ready then, but he is ready now. If you’re interested in meeting Clyde (who also happens to be our Dog of the Month), visit www.mnpitbull.com to fill out an application. If you’re not able to adopt, please consider giving. It is because of supporters like you that we can provide food & all the supplies needed to our fosters.

Many of you will recognize Della. She is the recipient of many of your donations whether it was through the MPBR Simpls Fundraiser, a direct donation, or when you purchased some merchandise through the store or at an adoption event in October. We cannot thank you enough for your support. It is because of our followers that Della was able to receive her ACL surgery and has landed a loving home, earning Della her forever last name. Please enjoy this story from foster:

Fos·ter verb encourage or promote the development of (something, typically something regarded as good).

Our 15-year-old terrier left us on his birthday in June. He was my 27th foster and my first foster fail. ⛵️sail on, Modi Ezekiel Skaalerud ❤️

Dogs are our world, which is why it is impossible to replace the hole that is left when they leave. The sadness slowly fades, but I can’t imagine it could ever go away completely. I was at peace not having another dog ever again… so we decided to foster. I told my girls the easiest way to not fall in love is to make the decision on day 1: harden your heart enough to not fall in love; [name of dog] belongs to the family that hasn’t found them yet, we are just giving them the best possible care we can until they are together. Keep in mind, fostering is only temporary, and you don’t have to keep them forever.

With our perfect plan in place, we got to it right away. Foster Della showed up and came with her 1/4-of-the-details-story as they seemingly all do. Looking back now, I can tell you that no one in our household made the decision not to fall in love with Foster Della on day 1. We may not have had the conversations with each other, and maybe we didn’t know then, but maybe, subconsciously, we knew the connection was there. Fast forward a few months and we foster failed for a second time. On 10 November, Foster Della became Della Fitz[gerald] Skaalerud. We love her so much. We know that nothing will replace a lost family member (human, canine or goldfish). Della is not a replacement, but absolutely another family member. She is perfect. We will continue to foster. I’m sure down the road and over the years there will be a third and likely a fourth foster fail. Some days can be hard enough for you and for me, we don’t need to harden our hearts towards anyone or anything. If you’re reading this, please consider fostering. Remember that it’s only temporary and you don’t have to keep them forever ;) -Della’s forever dad 

In Loving Memory of Brisco FKA Chase

Sometimes it's hard to look past the pain of losing such a special guy and remember what made him so special in the first place. His end was painful, it was sad, and can still bring me to that kind of ugly crying you only want to do by yourself. Then after the storm of emotion passes, I remember my cow pit, my guy, my Brisco. 

Brisco was a dip that I kept telling myself I wouldn't keep because I didn't want to Fail on the first foster. There was something there from the first second that you could just feel, it's hard to put into words. Though he might not have always been a Good boy, he was a good boy. He had a heart of gold that can't be trained into a dog. He loved hugs and snuggles. If he could, he'd burrow into you, pass out, and snore in that way that might be annoying if it wasn't so cute. He'd lull you into a false sense of security, steal half a sushi roll and make you blame yourself. 

He went off to what I thought would be his forever home and then days later he was back. I wondered why I ever let him go. Then he busted out the screen on my 2nd story window and went out onto the roof. And again, I was ready to find him a new home then and there. He drove me crazy but then he'd just be him and it was fine. It was great, he was great. How could I ever think differently? 

I still have regrets, what ifs, and I still have tears. I miss him so much, but I don't regret choosing to foster. I don't regret the pain. I don't regret that he was mine. He was worth all the pain, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. 

He needed to be with me in the end and I'm so happy he came into my life. Twice. We found each other again and it was how it should be. He loved everyone he met, he loved his foster sister, and he loved me. I loved him. I still love him. His end was ugly, and sad, and painful but he needed me. He needed help. He needed the Rescue. He needed us. Things didn't work out how I hoped, how we all hoped, but he died surrounded by love and in the end that's the best we could do.

Seth was tagged by MPBR with the help of our Texas partner Passport for Paws and officially arrived in MN early March. As with several dogs brought to the shelter as a stray in TX, we aren’t sure much of his back story, but he did arrive with some small wounds and was itchy from having demodex mange. Demodex mange is non-contagious, but it can spread rapidly throughout the dog’s body if not managed in a timely manner. It is also extremely uncomfortable for the dogs. Thankfully with the help of some medication, baths with anti-septic shampoo, and good probiotics Seth’s skin was able to improve.  

But truth be told, this isn’t where Seth’s story ended. His age upon arrival to rescue of approximately 8 months put him smack down in the middle of his human equivalent teen years – aaaahhh! This can be a tough age to get through for many dogs. Therefore, he needed some extra guidance and structure in his foster home life to start on the long journey of hopefully becoming a well behaved ambassadog for pitties. With an eager to please demeanor and structure, Seth made significant strides and even though it took two tries and some changes in finding the right training style, Seth found himself a welcoming home! 

Thanks to financial donations for helping with medication and trainers that teach us how to train our dogs, we hope to be able to continue to save more dogs like Seth! 

Gianna is a great example of "it takes a village" in rescue- multiple foster homes, transports, and finally a previous adopter all came through to support Gianna. 

Gianna came into rescue as an unwanted litter with her siblings (you might remember them as the Italian Litter). 2 days later, she was having a seizure and not acting like herself. Gianna's foster brought her to the vet where she was diagnosed with parvo and unknown seizure activity. She was then transferred to the emergency vet and fighting for her life. She spent five days in the emergency vet receiving parvo treatment and was monitored for her continuous seizure activity. Gianna was sent home with an anti-seizure medication once she recovered from her parvo diagnosis. We thought this was the end of her emergency vet visit (and bills!). She was recovered from parvo, playing with her foster siblings, eating, and back to her energetic self, but that didn’t last very long. 3 days after being released, she was back at the emergency vet as her seizure activity increased even while on anti-seizure meds. They monitored her for another 24 hours, prescribed different medication and released Gianna to go home. Within a few days she was having seizures again, this little girl just couldn’t catch a break. She needed to see a vet who was able to monitor her meds and change them as needed (dosage and type). Unfortunately, with the pandemic brought wait times at vet clinics that were 2+ weeks out. Thankfully, we have a volunteer in a partner clinic who was able to foster her and get her into the vet quickly. After a few medication changes, Gianna was seizure free! 

Now we were faced with the challenge of who is going to adopt a dog who needs seizure medication (possibly for a lifetime) with additional cost each month? We often see dogs who need to take medication can wait months, if not years, for a forever home.

Here comes our hero! We had a previous 2x adopter contact us. Both of her dogs had passed away and they were specifically looking for a dog who needed extra help getting adopted. It is because of that unselfishness that Gianna now lives with her loving family in Michigan. She enjoys running her 2-acre fenced yard, playing with her 2-legged family members, trying to bring big sticks into the house, chewing on bones, and dressing in pajamas.

Squidward was my 20^th foster & was found as a stray in Tennessee. He came to rescue with no manners, acted like a bull in a china shop, had scars all over his face, and he was not potty trained. His teeth were the worst I have ever seen in a dog- most of them broken to the gum line. That being said, he had one trait that stuck out to me- his drive to please his humans. This made potty training an older dog a breeze. Squidward loves all humans. He also has this enthusiasm for life that is infectious. I instantly fell in love with this boy. He never told me the story of his past but the love he gave me during his stay here will always remain in my heart.

From his adopters: Squidward has been an absolute joy to have in our lives. Everyone who meets him comments on his wonderful smile and his charming personality. You’d never guess from meeting him that he had such a hard past. He makes us laugh every day with his upside-down faces and squirrel-chasing antics. We can’t imagine our lives without him and are so grateful to have him with us every single day! We also can’t thank [his foster] Nichole and Minnesota Pit Bull Rescue enough for seeing his potential to be a wonderful and loving pet.

Celebrating our 2021 mommas 💕 Bella, Laguna, Alesia, MacKenzie, Destiny and Ruby (who will arrive in a few days).

Each of these mommas are so very special and unique. They know just what to do as they begin motherhood- caring for and loving each one of their babies equally, selflessly, and unconditionally. Making sure they teach their puppies confidence, structure, good behaviors and how to play as they grow sets them up to live their best life. 

After 8 weeks of being with their puppies, it is time for the mommas to shine and show their very own personality. For a foster, this is an incredible and emotional experience. There are often tears of happiness when each momma learns to play with a toy, chase a leaf or do a zoomie. When she can show and build her confidence because it is about her. When she can relax and snuggle. It’s amazing watching their body benefit from the nutritional food and supplements which help support herself and her babies. She will focus on training, learn manners and all things needed to make it possible to find her perfect forever family. 

We are so fortunate to have such great supporters that make it possible to take in these mommas in need. As a foster, I am humbled and thankful to be given the opportunity.  

Well, I’m back, and once again indebted to MN Pit Bull Rescue.  Last year MN Pit Bull Rescue asked me if I would write something about my first rescue from the rescue, Truly.  For those unfamiliar with Truly’s story, the abbreviated version is that I tend to lean towards the more broken dogs and Truly was no exception.  Truly was a very traumatized dog.  We’ve spent a great deal of time over the last year working with Truly to build her confidence up, socializing her with dogs and people.  It didn’t take me long to realize that Truly does way better when other dogs are around, so I decided that if I really wanted to do what was best for Truly, I needed to increase the size of my pack. 

 

I reached out to my friends at MN Pit Bull Rescue and expressed my interest in adopting a second dog from them.  My situation is a little unique though. I live in Denver, CO and while there certainly are rescues around Denver that I could easily adopt from, I really love what the folks at MN Pit Bull Rescue do for pit bulls.  The compassion and determination that the folks at MN Pit Bull Rescue have to find the right homes for these amazing dogs is truly remarkable.  In my case, there are other things to consider as well.  Since I live in another state we needed to be as certain as possible that any dog I rescued was going to be the right fit for my home.  I trusted the folks at MPBR to help me find the perfect match and I have to say, they nailed it!

 

I’ve had Ahsoka (FKA Laguna) for several months now.  Ahsoka, like Truly, has clearly experienced some trauma in her life as well. They both have trust issues with strangers, especially men, so there is a bit of a shared narrative between them.  The bond these two have created over the last several months is amazing.  Ahsoka’s energy and enthusiasm are infectious and has really helped Truly.  She does these amazing spins in the air when she gets excited.  Her flying spin kicks reminded me of the moves of the Jedi in Star Wars and that was how she got her name Ahsoka (Anakin Skywalkers Cheeky Padawan Learner).    

 

I am absolutely convinced that adding Ahsoka to our pack was the right thing to do.  Pretty much everyone that has met them, adore them, and they are constantly surrounded by supportive, loving people and other dogs.  At this point they are pretty much inseparable, and this success story would most likely not have been such a resounding success without the thoughtful consideration of the folks at MN Pit Bull Rescue. 

Thanks again to all who made this adoption possible; the people that donate, the vets, fosters, trainers, etc. Thank you so much for bringing Ahsoka into our lives.  Please, give generously if you have the means, so they can continue to provide this vital service and save as many of these beautiful dogs as possible!

Let's talk Litters! These precious babies come to us in all shapes, sizes, and colors. They arrive with and without their mommas & are typically between the ages of 2 weeks to 14 weeks. 

Upon arrival, some remain together, and others are placed in separate foster homes depending on age and what is best for them. Each of them is so special in their own way. Every one of them are counting on us.

They are almost always in need of medication for various parasites and require some medical support and some additional nutritional support. It is amazing how much these little bodies can endure; however, it takes a toll, and they sometimes must fight to survive.  With that said, there are emergency vet visits, fecal checks, dewormer and flea & tick preventative.  Nutritionally we offer puppy formula, raw goat milk, grain free balanced puppy kibble and prebiotics and probiotics.  All of these are needed to keep these puppies healthy. 

As a foster of some past litters, I have watched them struggle, thrive, loose the fight, and completely count on the support of our rescue village. Watching each puppy grow, change, and show their very own personality while in a fosters care is simply heartwarming. Taking care of full litters is rewarding and requires commitment. They go through lots of laundry, more puppy pads than you can ever imagine, puppy chews and puppy toys. They are worth every minute. 

They are loved. They are held and snuggled.  They are guided. They are taught good behavior and human interaction.

When they are ready to find their perfect home, we look to our volunteers to help at adoption events, make reference calls and do transports. Fostering, Volunteering, Supporting saves lives. 

It takes a village:  Our Rescue Partners, Our Fosters, Our Volunteers, Our MPBR supporters. You are needed and you are appreciated. Thank You!

Meet Polly, an 11-week-old puppy who came into a Texas shelter as a stray. Upon examination it was determined that Polly had multiple fractures in her front and back legs. Based on these injuries, it was suspected that she was hit by a car. A shelter is no place for a dog with these types of injuries so MPBR, along with our Texas partners Passport for Paws, picked up Polly so she could travel to Minnesota. In the meantime, she would be examined by an outside vet for additional x-rays, orthopedic exam and be cared for in her TX foster home until ready for transport.

13 days into her new life, Polly began having physical tics. Her Texas foster mom knew from previous foster dog experience that this was likely Distemper (a highly contagious viral disease that is incurable) and got her into the vet for testing. To everyone’s dismay, the test came back positive. As you can see from the video, Polly was doing great for the first week of her diagnosis and we were hopeful that she would still be able to have the surgery to repair her legs and live an amazing new life with an adopter. Unfortunately, she took a sudden turn for the worse which included aggressive outbursts to the point where no one could handle her. You see, Distemper attacks the central nervous system which is the cause for the tics and aggressive behavior. It was for this reason that it was recommended she be euthanized.

Many dogs do not survive and if they do, they have lasting effects like tics and seizures. We are so thankful her foster mom was able to take care of her physical and mental needs but, most importantly, show her the love that she deserved before passing.

As with any medical bill, the cost remains even when the patient doesn’t. If you can find it in your heart to donate during this Give to the Max Day, we would greatly appreciate it in honor or sweet Polly. 

Let’s be honest, today is kind of simple: $$$ It’s all about that dough, right?  But we would be remiss to not mention our greatest currency in the day-to-day goals of rescue: our HUMAN currency!  While today we focus so much on the funds we need to pay bills, the true foundation for everything we do lies in the people who share their time, efforts, talents, and always their hearts to help these dogs. 

So much happens, both behind the scenes and in ways more easily visible, that can only happen when we have caring humans stepping up and doing the work.  In our case, being a non-profit with no paid staff, none of it comes with a paycheck of any kind, and rarely even with accolades that might spur someone, so it really does come from the true goodness of people’s hearts and their valuing other beings enough to give their time and trust the value will be worth it, in any measure.

So many of our volunteers not only give of themselves year-round, but step up on this day of financial giving too; we can’t thank them enough for all they do.  If you’re not in a position to volunteer but want to express your gratitude for those who do, making that monetary donation today is its own unique gift and we value you too.

It’s perhaps a little funny that the very beings we do all this for—the dogs—have no clue today is happening, or why it means so much, or how it helps them thrive.  We thank you for trusting us to steward them and watch out for their needs, as that is always our top goal.  Whatever your contribution today, we end our day humbly grateful and looking forward to another year of bringing families together with dogs: plain, but not always so simple.