Check Out These Organizations That Support Pittie Parents

Any Pit Bull parent can tell you that adopting a Pittie often presents unique challenges, thanks to how the media portrays them and many people view them. Misconceptions regarding the breed type’s “inherent aggression” are fairly widespread and create harmful stereotypes that lead to mistreatment and nonsensical legislation. As a result, Pittie parents can commonly feel isolated or unwelcome from the larger pet communities — which can make getting Pitties all the care they deserve feel even more overwhelming.

Thankfully, there are also organizations across the country created to support Pitties. While missions vary slightly by group, most aim to ensure Pit Bulls receive the proper nourishment, medical care, and behavioral training to thrive.

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Medical support

BadRap (San Francisco, California)

Most people don’t get into veterinary fields unless they genuinely care about the animals they work with. So, it can be disheartening when having to turn away a dog purely due to economic reasons. This is where BadRap comes in. The org keeps a “ rainy day fund” for vets who have clients unable to afford their pet’s treatment. On average, BadRap has given $550 to individual Pittie parents in need. Additionally, the group offers free or pay-what-you-can spay or neuter surgeries for Pit Bulls in the Bay Area.

American Pit Bull Foundation

The American Pit Bull Foundation (APBF) is a nationwide resource dedicated to Bully breed advocacy and outreach. The organization combats discrimination against Pit Bulls by educating the public on canine behavior and the dangers of breed-specific legislation. But possibly the group’s most impactful program is the APBF Helping Hands Fund, which offers monetary assistance to those facing financial difficulties with dogs in need of medical support. The fund has been utilized to help pay for anything from vaccinations and parasite screenings to major surgeries.

Pit Bull Rescue Central 

Pit Bull Rescue Central is Missouri-based, but they offer assistance for the spaying and neutering of Pitties nationwide. Simply fill out the application on the org’s site, and they’ll either send funds for the procedure or connect you with low-cost options in your area.

Pit Bull Advocates of America

Pit Bull Advocates of America certainly lives up to the promise of its name. The organization’s Better Together program was built to provide financial resources for Pit Bull families facing monetary struggles, regardless of its cause. The team takes applications for help with any vet care.

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A Rotta Love Plus (Minneapolis, Minnesota)

It’s not surprising why so many rescues and shelters encourage spaying and neutering your dogs. The simple process is loaded with benefits including decreasing aggression, combatting overpopulation, and minimizing the risk of several cancers, among others. A Rotta Love Plus understands this and provides f ree spay or neuter procedures to any Pit Bulls and Rottweilers around the Twin Cities.

Rescue Pit (Rochester, New York)  

Rescue Pit holds five percent of all its quarterly donations for The Community Fund, a program dedicated to providing financial assistance for Pit Bull parents who need help with medical care. The rescue is based out of Upstate New York; dogs within the greater Rochester area are eligible for application.

Ahimsa Dog Training (Tacoma, Washington)

It’s only natural the “evergreen state” would appreciate the enduring reward that caring for a Pittie provides. As such, the Tacoma-based Ahimsa Dog Training gifts free spaying and neutering for any Pit Bulls in Tacoma that can make the trip to its facilities.

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Food assistance

BadRap

In addition to helping pet parents with medical bills, BadRap works to ensure no Pit Bull goes hungry. The group will provide any Bay Area residents kibble when facing emergency financial situations.

Pit Bull Advocates of America (San Francisco, California)

Not only do Pit Bull Advocates of America support medical care, but the group will also send dog food if you’re unable to currently provide it. Continuing to live up to its name, anyone in the U.S. with a hungry Pittie companion may apply.

Biggies Bullies (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)

By partnering with local food banks and Meals on Wheels, Biggies Bullies created Hungry Hippo’s Pet Pantry. The program ensures that households receiving food assistance have the same help for their land seal pets. In the spirit of the city’s Steel Curtain NFL defense, Biggies Bullies combats shelters across Pittsburgh increasingly being crowded with Bully breeds.

Born Again Pit Bull Rescue (Portland, Oregon)  

Of course, a city that prides itself on being weird would want to support dogs who possess the goofiest personalities. At least, Portland’s Born Again Pit Bull Rescue certainly does. Its Full Bellies Fund offers high-quality food to Pitties in low-income or homeless families.

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Free or low-cost behavior training

BadRap (Bay Area)

To round out their altruistic hattrick, BadRap also offers access to behavioral training at all levels. While not immediately free, the group makes exceptions for those facing life crises, financial or otherwise.

Hello Bully

Thanks to harsh stereotypes and misconceptions about their nature, Pit Bulls face the most scrutiny and least patience when reactive or untrained. Hello Bully combats this unfortunate occurrence by offering free remote training advice and guidance over the phone or via email. The rescue singularly encourages positive reinforcement training to create an enjoyable experience for all involved.

The Love Pit

Bully breeds not only make up a large portion of the dogs in shelters, but they’re often some of the least likely to be adopted. So, it would be a terrible experience for one to finally be brought into a loving home only to then be sent back to a shelter shortly after. To limit this development, the Love Pit operates a rehoming program aimed at moving animals from one family to another rather than sending them back to a shelter.

But if you’ve adopted a Pit Bull, and you’re considering rehoming them because of behavioral issues, The Love Pit will provide free training resources to help keep them by your side forever.

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Mr. K9 Dog Training (Chicago, Illinois)

Mr. K9 is a dog training facility with over 30 years of experience aiding Chicago pet-parenting communities. As a result, they fairly charge a decent fee for their services — except for Pit Bulls. Recognizing the additional battles these poor pups regularly face, Mr. K9’s classes are free to all Pittie parents.

Ahimsa Dog Training (Tacoma, Washington)

Similar to Mr. K9, Ahimsa Dog Training’s services are free only to Bully breeds. However, the team has an additional system in place to hold pet parents accountable. The four-week program requires an initial $40 free, but for every week completed, they’ll give you $10 back. In short, if you finish the entire training, it’ll be free.

Los Angeles Responsible Pit Bull Owners (Los Angeles, California)

Los Angeles Responsible Pit Bull Owners (LARPBO) is a nonprofit canine training group dedicated to providing low-cost programs for Bully breeds to help combat negative views of their behavior. While LARPBO’s work is primarily focused on Pitties, all dogs in the LA area are welcome.

Community engagement 

Love-a-Bull (Austin, Texas)

Love-a-Bull regularly hosts events to raise awareness and funds for Pit Bulls in need of support and adoption. One of these events is the First Sundays Pittie Fun Walks held —  you guessed it — the first Sunday of every month. Pit Bull parents meet up and walk together around the Mueller area of Austin to showcase responsible pet parenting and connect Pit Bulls with other pups of their breed.

Blockhead Brigade (Long Beach, California)

Taking a Pit Bull for a walk is often accompanied by concerning looks from strangers and the occasional side-eye. One of the best ways to combat this judgment is to squad up with other Pittie parents. Blockhead Brigade offers LA and Long Beach residents an opportunity to enjoy this strength-in-numbers response by hosting several Bully breed pack walks throughout the month around the area.

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Brooklyn Pack Walk (Brooklyn, New York)

Unfortunately, standoffish reactions to Pitties simply walking by are a bicoastal occurrence. Brooklyn Pack Walk is a great resource for New Yorkers facing similar issues. Although this pack walk is not technically only for Pit Bulls, it is super Pittie-friendly and led by one.

Los Angeles Responsible Pit Bull Owners (Los Angeles, California)

In addition to the org’s free Pittie training, LARPBO regularly hosts pack walks to help reinforce obedience lessons and make all pet parents feel more welcomed.  

California Bully Rescue (San Francisco, California)

If you’re not in the LA area or simply don’t want to deal with the traffic, San Fran’s  California Bully Rescue  hosts several pack walks and events throughout the year. The org offered three pack walks this year during the  spring and summer led by professional trainers to help with socialization and reactivity.

This month, they’ll be holding their annual  Halloween Doggy Costume Contest. Submission is only $5, and all proceeds go toward supporting the rescue. Additionally, California Bully Rescue is returning to  Blaker Brewing  in Ceres for a  beer and yoga party on the 21st with adoptable dogs in attendance.

Fresno Bully Rescue (Fresno, California)

California is evidently the state of Pittie love, with Fresno Bully Rescue further supporting the breed’s cause. This October, the rescue will be hosting a Halloween charity dog walk to raise awareness and funds. All pet parents are welcome to participate to support the organization’s mission of halting Pit Bull euthanasia, as well as see a bunch of cute pups in costumes.  

Jersey Pits Rescue

Get ready, music fest enthusiasts: Jersey Pits Rescue held its own live music event — but with a canine twist. The rescue’s Peace, Love and Pitties dog-friendly fest, held in September, featured plenty of tunes, food, and prizes with all proceeds going toward Jersey Pits Rescue and its mission of finding abandoned dogs loving homes. Plus, adoptable dogs were on site. But please note, the event is BYOPB — bring your own poop bags.

Stand Up For Pits Foundation

Founded by comedian Rebecca Corry, Stand Up for Pits is a non-profit dedicated to ending the abuse and discrimination of Pit Bulls through education and advocacy. Corry and her team regularly host comedy shows and events across the country to promote Pittie adoption often with adoptable pups on site. Many of the shows are also dog-friendly so don’t sweat if you can’t get a sitter.