On Thursday, Faith took a flight from Ontario to Calgary. She overnighted there and the next day, she made the rest of her journey by truck to BC.

We received these photos of Faith as she arrived in BC on Friday afternoon. She loves road trips and loved the BC countryside.

In what has become Faith’s trademark character, she greeted her adoptive mom with loads of kisses. Faith has a huge reputation for LOVING people.

But she didn’t fit in so well with the other dogs that were there. There was friction. So phone calls were made and a new plan was set into motion for Faith.

Friday afternoon, Faith returned to Calgary. Good thing she likes road trips, eh?

Under the rescue of the DAISY Foundation in Calgary, Faith is being fostered by an incredible couple. They understand Pit Bulls and have a great passion for dogs. Faith’s angels still have their eyes on her!

She will get spayed, receive training and a new search will begin for her forever home. Because she is so special, it needs to be the perfect match.

You can follow her story on the DAISY Foundation website.

Best to you on your journey, Faith. We know you are in good hands!

Well folks, Faith has left Brantford!

She flew out of Ontario yesterday afternoon to Calgary, the first stop on her journey to freedom. As we speak, she is starting the final leg to her new home in BC. BSL will not be hanging over her head anymore.

From Faith’s perspective, she is a dog like any other. Well actually, from the stories I have heard, she may not realize she is a even dog. And that’s what she should be from our perspective, too.

Faith is a good dog who was living in a province that has bad legislation: Breed Specific Legislation (BSL). It’s legislation that unfairly targets any dog that even resembles a Pit Bull; any dog with a muscular build and a square head. More specifically —

• A Pit Bull Terrier;
• A Staffordshire Bull Terrier;
• An American Staffordshire Terrier;
• An American Pit Bull Terrier; or
• A member of a class of dogs that have an appearance and physical characteristics that are substantially similar to the four types of dogs that have been identified.

Because she was born after the legislation was enacted, Faith is not allowed to live in Brantford… or anywhere else in Ontario for that matter.

But Faith is every bit what people have always loved about Pit Bulls: they are faithful, reliable, trustworthy, and extremely tolerant. Lest we forget, Pit Bulls were known as “Nanny Dog” for 150 years.

“One dog breed became so trusted that despite the fact that no Kennel Club or Association recognized it, despite the fact that it could be found on the poorest farms and bleakest city neighborhoods with kids who didn’t know where their next meal was coming from, rich people acquired them in droves because they were simply the safest, most tolerant breed to have around their gilded progeny.

“Rich, poor, and everything in between, until recently [owners] agreed that there were only a CERTAIN TYPE of people who would own a Pit Bull… PEOPLE WHO LOVED THEIR CHILDREN.

“… Nanny Dog is the victim of a smear campaign that has turned common sense upside-down and robbed us of our historical memory. The dogs that we trusted with our children’s lives are now deemed too vicious to live among us. The dogs that in two World Wars were the symbol of the United States military itself are now ordered off its bases. The Pit Bulls haven’t changed at all. Only the owners have.” [1]

From her demeanor, it’s obvious that Faith was raised in a caring home where she was much loved. I hope the folks who raised her find this message. I hope their loss will be eased knowing she will be living BSL-free in a wonderful home on acreage in the BC countryside.

Imagine if YOU were not allowed to live in your community simply on the basis of how you looked. That is the heart of BSL, and it wrongly condemns many wonderful, happy and healthy dogs to death across the world every year. Read about the world wide failure of BSL. Learn the truth and step up for targeted dogs. I encourage you to support Cheri DiNovo in removing all aspects of BSL in Ontario.

In closing, I extend my heartfelt thanks on behalf of Faith — and myself — for all the efforts of everyone involved in her rescue. And a very sincere “thanks” to the Brantford SPCA for restoring my faith. Under the compassionate management of Robin Kuchma, the shelter has not killed a healthy animal in more than five years! This group works tirelessly to uphold the original intent of SPCA. It is these shelters we want to support.

Please opt to adopt. Be part of the 3% solution*.

* Statistics show that, on average, if 3% of a city’s population would adopt from their shelters, there would be no need for healthy animals to die. In larger cities, this number actually goes down. Another fraction of a per cent would save the cats and dogs in rescue/foster. We CAN do this!

In a quick post to everyone who has been tracking the story of our little canine heroine, Faith, I want to spotlight the efforts of a group that should be heralded: the management and staff at the Brantford SPCA!

I think that we are often guilty of painting everyone with the same brush when they are affiliated with a certain group. In this case, the Brantford SPCA has received many unwarranted and inappropriate comments which I think are based on the wrongdoings we know occurred in the New Market SPCA last year when they attempted to kill all the animals in their care over an alleged outbreak of ringworm which was later determined to be false.

But this is not fair! The Brantford SPCA is NOT the New Market SPCA. The Brantford SPCA has not killed a healthy dog in more than five years! The management and staff at this SPCA go above and beyond to place the animals in their care, sometimes personally driving them to new homes. When it comes to finding homes, they know no boundaries. One dog was transported with a trucker to a new home in Las Vegas!

These folks “get it!” These folks are knowledgeable and compassionate about the animals in their care.

They have fielded offers for Faith from all over North America. They have carefully weighed their choices, checked references and made their decision.

Faith will be heading out west to start a new life as a free dog; no BSL hanging over her head.

The Brantford SPCA never considered killing this Pit Bull mix.

She was treated as all their animals are, except that her adoption would require her to live outside Ontario. And that is exactly what happened.

These are the facts and I hope they shall make the rounds on the internet so everyone knows the truth before they make comments or write angry emails.

Instead I encourage everyone to either stop writing to the Brantford SPCA, send them kudos or make a donation to them.

It is not fair to paint the Brantford SPCA with the same brush that you paint the New Market SPCA despite the fact they both fall under the leadership of the OSPCA. Again I tell you, the Brantford SPCA is one of the “good guys.” They work tirelessly for the animals in their care, going above and beyond. They deserve our support for all the good they do.

We need to recognize the good apples! We need to stand behind them as an example to the not-so-good apples. We need to support them.

So please, stop your angry comments to and about the Brantford SPCA… because you are wrong! Instead, please join me in spreading the truth!

Kudos to the Brantford SPCA for the handling of this adoption…

and all their work in placing the animals in their care! You have my deepest respect!

Ciao, Holly

GREAT NEWS!

Faith has found a new home! The Brantford SPCA has accepted an application from someone they “feel very comfortable about.” It is outside the Ontario province.

Congratulations — to Kalena for rescuing Faith, and to Faith on finding a safe and wonderful home where she can just be a dog and not a Pit Bull in a BSL-legislated province.

It’s great that in saving Kalena’s life, Faith saved her own life.

The story of Faith’s heroism is heartwarming and inspiring in a time when there seem to be no heroes and few examples of selfless good deeds. It restores my “faith” in values that seem almost dormant.

It is also inspiring to read and hear of all the people moved to action by this story.

What is missing are the stories behind EVERY animal in our SPCAs. They all have one. And they all deserve to have people line up to adopt them, too. Why is it important that we adopt the dog who risked her life to save a stranger? How about the dog simply given up because the family is having a baby? Or the cat that is being replaced by a kitten? Or the stray that has never known a real home and real love?

They all have stories, but we have no way of knowing them. And does it really matter after a while? We should accept them for who they are and the love they bring to us.

For all of you who were moved to the point of wanting to adopt Faith or who even began to consider adopting her, please keep the momentum going by adopting another animal that is in need. Statistics show that on average if 3% of a city’s population would adopt from their shelters, there would be no need for healthy animals to die. In larger cities, this number actually goes down. Another fraction of a per cent would save the cats and dogs in rescue.

You can be part of the 3% solution.. and in the process, add a wonderful companion to your household.

As a small sidenote: I heard that some people made terribly inappropriate comments towards Brantford and the SPCA; threats even. All I have about this is hearsay, but if there is any truth to it at all, I seriously have to ask you WHAT about this story would motivate you to be so out-of-line? Feel free to explain it to me via comment or email because I simply do not get it.

The goal was to find a home for a dog who would not find one in Brantford, or Ontario, because of her looks. While this legislation is steeped in what I think is ignorance of the proven facts, this is not an issue that the SPCA has any control over. The folks at the Brantford SPCA were rooting for Faith as hard as any of the rest of us. Their advantage was that they were rooting for her based on actually KNOWING her day in and day out whereas our knowledge was based on a few hours in her life one night.

It is one thing to challenge such prejudicial legislation as Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) or the Dog Owners’ Liability Act (DOLA), but it is quite another to make threatening statements. I am ashamed and embarassed that the search for a new home for Faith would include such antics. What were you thinking???

To end this journey on a happy note, my best wishes to Faith as she starts her new life as a FREE dog! Hey Faith, drop us a photo sometime and let us know how you are doing.

To everyone else, don’t let the momentum you felt for Faith just fizzle out. Save a life… today. Opt to adopt!

FOSTERING SAVES LIVES!

Dear friends,

Today we are going to try something that, as far as we know it has never been done before, something that just a few years ago it could have never been attempted without a massive advertising expenditure.

Please read carefully and at the end, PLEASE SHARE.

One of the most challenging aspects of our mission is to find foster homes. A network of foster homes is absolutely essential for the good functioning of any rescue organization.

A foster home is, a temporary home where the animal gets chance to recover from the stress of being in a shelter or abandoned. Additionally, the foster volunteer has the opportunity to work with the animal to introduce him to family living (if its a puppy or a kitten) or to correct some of the behavior problems that may have led to him being abandoned.

Quite simply: Fostering Saves Lives.

So this is what we are going to do here today. Today we are going to use our entire network to build up our network of foster homes.

To do this we are going to need YOUR help. I need you to do three things:

1. Please feel free to use our poster, Foster Saves Lifes as avatar in your Facebook profile. You can just save the picture in this post. Alternatively you can download the small version HERE

2. We need to have the involvement of your trusted veterinarians in this campaign. For this I would like you to download the Hig-Resolution Poster HERE, print it (in colour please) and ask your veterinary clinic to put it in its announcement board. I understand this may be a bit too cumbersome to some, but it is the fastest and most efficient way to have an inmediate distribution of this poster all over the world. It will also help us establish a link with our members’ trusted vets all over the world.

DOWNLOAD HI-RES POSTER HERE

3. Finally, I need you to share this post with your own networks. You can share it on your wall, you can email it, it doesn’t really matter, but I need you to please become personally involved in this campaign. We cannot do this alone we need you. The animals need you. PLEASE SHARE.

This campaign is being launched in our Global, USA, Canada, French, German and Turkish networks simultaneously and the homes will be available to our friends at Soi Dog / Let’s Adopt (Thailand), that are doing such an incredible job in the Far East.

If you would like to have the poster designed in your language to be used in your veterinary clinics, just drop me a quick email on viktor@myletsadopt.com and I’ll make sure it gets translated.

Come on.. let’s get to work.. this is very exciting! Help us build a truly global foster home network.

Fostering Saves Lives!.. Let’s get to work! That’s what we do! Save Lives!

Start fostering today!. Contact me on: viktor@myletsadopt.com

Viktor

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With the millions of cats and dogs killed each year across the world, the question is “can you love some more?” Can you open your heart and your home to adopt another cat or dog?

More than sharing their stories and their photos, THEY NEED HOMES.

Will you step up?

Think how the numbers would change if everyone who says they are an animal lover adopted a cat or dog from a rescue or a shelter.

Think of the impact and the lives saved.

Please… think about it, then step up and love some more.

If you compare the number of animals killed in a community shelter to the city’s population of people, it requires only a small percentage of people to empty a shelter of it’s healthy, adoptable animals.

For example: say you live in a city where there are 285,000 people. And say the average family consists of four people. 285,000 divided by 4 = 71,250 families.

Say your local shelter kills 2500 animals in a year. 2500 animals divided by 71,250 families = .035. That number represents the percentage of households needed to save all the shelter animals euthanized in a year in our sample community. — 3.5% of the community’s households.

This sample was generated from the actual numbers for 2009 from an actual Canadian city.

Add another percentage and I bet the area rescues will be empty, too.

When you look at it that way, you can begin to get your head around how needless the killing really is.

Please SHARE this post and let’s find that 3.5%.