pit bulls Archives - Compassionate Women

Pit Bull Awareness Day Festival

November 7, 2016 by Jillian Leave a Comment

A festival dedicated to pit bulls? Those blocky headed, big tongued, wiggly butted, wet nosed beasts that get a rap but are really just as sweet and good natured as every other dog on the planet? Um, yes, I’ll be there!

The 8th Annual Pit Bull Awareness Day Festival happened in Austin, Texas on Sunday, October 23rd. It was held by Love-a-Bull, a nonprofit organization dedicated to rescuing pit bulls in need and finding them good homes. There were lots of vendors, a silent auction, food trucks, and of course the most adorable pit bulls known to man 🐶

I got there just as the pittie parade kicked things off with a dog walk around the park. So many pibbles dressed up and wiggling their butts! Then I got to explore all the rescue groups, enjoy an intro by local DJ Deb of 101x who is a dog enthusiast, watch some very well behaved dogs demonstrate their skills on the agility course, look at the local goods that vendors handcrafted, and watch pit bulls roll around in the kiddie pools set up around the park.

And everything was to benefit rescue pits! It sort of felt like heaven being surrounded by these fun loving dogs. Here are my favorite photos from the day 📷

[Read more…]

The Shelter Dogs of Beaumont, Texas

January 4, 2016 by Jillian Leave a Comment

You can tell just by looking at this dog that she’s had a rough life – you can see her ribs, the patchy spots of missing fur, she needs a bath, and if you look closely, you can see that she recently had puppies. Yet when I met this dog at the Beaumont Animal Shelter, she was calm and sweet and had such hopeful eyes. I’m not sure what happened to her. In an ideal world, she found a loving home that spoils her and loves her more than anything. But after spending the past couple of months in Beaumont, Texas and volunteering at the shelter, I’m obliged to think happy endings for these dogs are far and few between.

Coming here from Austin, Texas after working at the largest no-kill shelter in the U.S., it’s been pretty traumatic volunteering at a small shelter that still imposes what I consider outdated standards and protocol. I know they have good intentions and want to help the animals that come through their shelter, but they are also struggling in a region that isn’t as open minded and modern in their thinking of how pets and animals should be treated. I first visited Beaumont’s city shelter on my birthday back in May of this year. Here are a few of the dogs I saw —

[Read more…]

Anatomy of a Dog Rescue

May 15, 2015 by Jillian Leave a Comment

Animal rescue is something very near and dear to my heart, and dog rescue is something that I’ve been lucky enough to actively participate in. It’s gut wrenching, heartbreaking, stressful, tragic, inspiring, and extremely rewarding. It’s taught me that every life counts and every life is worth saving and fighting for.

I want to tell you a story about a very special dog named Pretty Girl. She’s taught me a lot and I’m very proud of her. If you look closely at the photo above, you’ll notice that Pretty Girl is missing one of her front legs. This by no means defines her, it merely makes her extra cute & unique.

If you’ve ever rescued, adopted, or loved a dog, maybe you can relate to this post and the struggles I went through for this girl. Regardless, I think everyone can relate to fighting for something they believe in and for someone they love. This “someone” just happens to have a shiny fur coat and a wet nose.

[Read more…]

Why Shelter Dogs are the Best!

October 1, 2014 by Jillian Leave a Comment

Look at those eyes. Soulful, huh? And those cropped ears. Both features tell the tale of a hard life full of pain and sadness. Yet this sweet girl, Catherine, was always so sweet and outgoing. She didn’t let the fact that she was passed around from owner to owner, dumped at the shelter, unable to find her forever home, and goodness knows what else stop her from giving up. This is why shelter dogs are the best. They are resilient. They endure terrible, heartbreaking circumstances and yet they continue to overcome. And they never stop sharing their love. Most humans I know are incapable of doing this. For me, shelter dogs represent and embody true love. I never grew up with dogs or spent time near them, and honestly, at times I preferred not to be near them. I mean, the drooling and barking and jumping on me – no thanks. But after working at shelters and observing these dogs firsthand, I immediately fell deep into love with their personalities and their stories. I saw them as furry little people, each with their own quirks, likes, dislikes, needs, strengths, and weaknesses. And the fact that they were shelter dogs as opposed to coming from a puppy mill or breeder, just amplified these endearing qualities and made me love them even more.

This is Horatio, one of the shelter dogs that I fostered for a couple weeks. He was so skinny when I first saw him. And as the weeks went by, I noticed that he wasn’t gaining any weight. In fact, it didn’t look like he was eating at all. I decided to bring him home and see if he gained weight. And he did! And my two female pitties absolutely adored him. The first night I brought him home, I had to lift him onto the bed because he was too terrified to move, and my other foster dog, Pretty Girl, started rolling around and stretching out next to him to try to impress him. It was amazing to see her react that way because Pretty Girl came from a bad situation too and was very introverted, yet she connected with Horatio and he brought out the best in her. Poor Horatio was probably the most scared dog I’ve ever met. He was scared to go into my yard to use the bathroom. I’d have to walk him out on a leash, and then he’d be scared to come back in. I don’t know anything about his history, except that my shelter rescued him off the kill list at the city shelter. I’ve always wondered what horrendous things must have happened to him to make him so petrified. He flinched every time I came near him, even to pet him. And yet Horatio was always a gentle creature.

[Read more…]