If you have never been to an animal shelter during this time of the year then you have no idea what a huge problem this is. Many shelters have non-adoption policies on Pit Bulls. Not because they have a personal agenda against Pit Bulls... Quite the opposite, in fact. Those restrictions are put in place in order to protect the dogs. Sadly, because of lack of resources allowing the staff to screen applicants, the only way shelters can prevent these poor dogs from falling in the wrong hands is by instating a non-adoption policy on breeds that attract more than their share of abuse and irresponsible owners.

Pit Bulls rank #1 when it comes to bad owners' magnets. Hence why rescue groups such as MPR work tirelessly to help those dogs and find them the homes they deserve and solutions to this terrible tragedy.

In the meantime, more than half of the dogs in animal shelters are unavailable for adoption because they are considered Pit Bulls. This means that if a loving family goes to the shelter to adopt a puppy and if the puppy they pick is a Pit Bull they will be turned away.

The only way a Pit Bull puppy will make it out of the shelter alive is if the original owner claims it back or if a Pit Bull rescue group is able to pull it out in time.

Problem is, a lot of times the original owners are the problem. The family or the breeder abandons the momma dog and puppies on the side of the road or they drop them off at the shelter, or simply allow them to get lost or stolen by lack of supervision. These people close their eyes to the over population problem and walk away not accepting the responsibility of their dog.

If MPR is able to, we pull puppies from local shelters before it is too late. The problem is so huge though that the majority of the puppies don't make it out alive. The public is not fully aware of the big picture either. Puppies are often kept in the back and euthanized quickly to avoid the spread of nasty viruses such as "parvo". So reality is hidden and not always in the face of those who need to see it.

Rescue groups only have so much space and when it's full we are left helpless to the puppies we see. To have to walk away from the cage of a baby Pit Bull that is nursing from it's momma, knowing that these babies won't make it out is a horrible feeling, one that Pit Bull rescue groups face every day. For these puppies sometimes it's only a few hours before it will be pulled away from its momma taken into a room and have a needle inserted into it's vein.

Please visit local animal Control and see first hand how bad the situation really is. See the countless pleading eyes watching you as you walk past their cages. Some of those dogs are new to the shelter and seem to not understand what has happened to them. Some others may have been confiscated and must endure a longer stay on death row. They know their fate and are jumping, barking and pawing at the kennel door trying to escape.

How is a baby deserving of this you ask?..... It's not.

This is just a little view into world of Pit Bull rescue and the fight we have on our hands every day. So take a little time and go to your local shelters. Look for Pit Bulls that are under a year old, and you will leave astounded at the cruel world that these dogs are born into. One that punishes them not because of a bad deed done, but because of their breed! Now try to close your eyes and not see these horrible images! Knowing that in 5 days the majority of the dogs you just saw will be dead, including the puppies ...just to make room for more with the same fate.

Please don't breed or buy while shelter pets die,
Please Spay or Neuter your pet......

National Pet Preparedness Month. This month, timed for the first month of hurricane season, urges people with pets to make preparations in case they should be hit by a disaster…and that includes making plans for what you would do with your dog in case of a hurricane, tornado, flood or other natural disaster.

1st week in June. Pet Appreciation Week.

June 10, 2013: World Pet Memorial Day.

mid-June: Animal Rights Awareness Week.

June 16, 2013 - Happy Father's Day!

June 21, 2013: Take Your Dog to Work Day.

June 21, 2013: National Dog Party Day.

Why leave your pet at home? Six ways to make pet travel safer, easier, and more enjoyable for all

Northland Pet Pantry - The mission of the Northland Pet Pantry is to provide short-term help in the form of free food and basic supplies for the companion pets of people who are struggling financially.

Reminder from the National Canine Research Council - The excellent book The Pit Bull Placebo: The Media, Myths and Politics of Canine Aggression is available for free download at the National Canine Research Council website. Find it here.

Breed Discriminatory Fiscal Impact Calculator - Tool for municipalities in understanding the real cost of enforcing bans and restrictions on dogs because of their looks. The study that led to the calculator pointed out that dogs often identified as pit bulls may be, in fact, another breed entirely, which raises the question on how to properly identify animals that under the law might be banned.

Dog Training and the Myth of Alpha-Male Dominance - Victoria was profiled in a recent TIME Magazine article entitled "Dog Training and the Myth of Alpha-Male Dominance." In the article, Victoria helps highlight the differences between traditional dominance-based methods and her brand of positive reinforcement philosophies.

EXPECTING???? - Dogs Need To Be Prepared For Baby, Too - Shawnee Mission Medical Center Offers 'Dog & Storks' Class. Families preparing for a new baby may also want to consider preparing the family pet for the new addition, too. Dogs and Storks class is $29. For more information please see, Shawnee Mission Medical Center Classes

Sequoia has the best smile and her eyes light up... how can you resist? We know that once we took a look into her big brown eyes, our hearts melted....

She is such a well behaved lady and is very sweet, super cuddly with a little bit of a silly personality. She loves to roll to her back for a belly rub. Sequoia is responsive, very well behaved, knows basic training, is crate trained, house broken and walks very well on leash. She really is a treasure of a dog!

She has the potential to be an awesome family companion for some lucky family. We think she would do wonderful in a home with children as she is calm, gentle, tolerant and very, very sweet.

We are confident she will be a blessing to anyone who adopts her. To meet her is to love her. Won't you open up your heart and give her a forever home and family of her very own? Don't wait another day ... APPLY today!

We're pleased this month to recognize the dedication our volunteer, Billy Saccomanno.

"My love of Pit Bulls began in 2008 when my neighbor asked if I would be interested in taking Beauty, a Red Pit Mix, due to her family downsizing to a smaller property. My first reaction was hesitant as I had not owned nor been near a Pit Bull in my entire life. Everything I had seen from the media had portrayed Pit Bulls very negatively which caused me some concern. My first encounter with Beauty was met with tons of kisses and pure joy! It was truly love at first sight! Beauty instantly became a part of our family enjoying the company of our male Black Lab Mix."

"After moving to Kansas City from the east coast, and after becoming enamored with “Pit Bulls and Parolees” on television, I decided I wanted to get involved in Pit Bull Rescue. I became a part of the great volunteer team at Missouri Pit Bull Rescue in May 2012, and jumped in to cover the Tuesday evening shelter shift. In August 2013, we fostered Simba for a week and totally fell in love with him. Needless to say, we foster failed! We adopted Simba and he has become the prince in our family and loves playing with his sister Beauty!"

"There has been no greater joy in my life than coming to the mini-shelter and caring for our wonderful Pitties! The hardest part of the job is leaving the mini-shelter as I wish I could take all of our babies home with me. I’ve enjoyed getting involved in our fundraising events, repair work on our mini-shelter, conducting adoption home visits, and sharing with the community the love I have for Pit Bulls in hopes of continuing to educate and spread a positive message for the breed. I currently serve as one of the Shelter Floaters, taking on needed shifts for other volunteers when a scheduling conflict arises. Sometimes this means spending time with our babies more than once a week…What’s better that that??"

"Becoming involved with MPR has been the most gratifying decision I have made in my entire life! I wouldn’t trade it for the world!"

Billy, your caring, hard work and commitment are such an asset to MPR and the dogs. We are so very fortunate and thankful to have you on board. Thank you!

~ MPR Volunteers

First we absolutely love Mambo, he is such a sweet dog. We live in an apt downtown and he has taken to apartment life very well. He has a couple crazy spells every day and runs around the apt with his toys like a madman but otherwise is very well behaved. He lives with two very active people and really loves that, he has gone from the shelter to running 5-10 miles a day and now he gets really upset if it's raining and we don't want to run!

At night he has full reign of the house but even though he is allowed to sleep on the couch or in any of the rooms he likes to be on his little MPR shelter bed in the corner of the living room, I guess it reminds him of where he came from. He's not much for sleeping in and is usually up on our bed by 7:30am giving kisses and asking us to get up and feed him.

He's a very receptive dog and has picked up training very well. In the few weeks we have had him he has learned sit, stay, leave it, drop it, and gentle (for taking food)....he really wants to please his people and it shows. We have lots of dogs at our complex and he has made a lot of friends and actually helped us meet many great people here. His best friends here are Bocepherus, a 100lb german shepherd mix who towers over him and Avon, a 10lb beagle weiner mix. This summer we are taking him home to CT and he will get to run in a yard for the first time ever, which I think he will really love.

Lawrence & Becky

Baraka (aka B) is doing wonderfully! She is such an easy dog, so laid back. She loves to sit in her wingchair in the living room and watch TV with the family or snuggle with the kids while they hang out in the basement. She makes friends everywhere she goes, mostly for her own benefit because anyone who comes close enough will get a gentle paw until they rub her big pink stomach! She likes to go out in the backyard, lay on her back in the grass and wiggle her way down the hill. My daughter Katie always says B is her favorite because she can hug her as hard as she wants and B never minds. B is working on her CGC but progress is slow, mostly I think, because she is so full of love she can’t concentrate on learning to stay for 10 seconds.

The Roberts Family