A severely burned Pit Bull Puppy was recently dumped like trash in our city.
An older dog was also abused, fought, burned, and discarded.
If the recent rescue of two severely abused and dumped Pit Bulls by Aggieland Animal Health Center’s Second Chance Veterinary Medical Rescue has horrified, shocked, saddened, and/or enraged you, you have come to the right place.
Long Way Home Animal Sanctuary is home to three rescued Pit Bulls who are what Pit Bulls are meant to be: loyal, loving companions that enrich lives. Pit Bulls are not innately vicious or dangerous. They are extremely athletic dogs, sponges that soak up what they receive–good or bad–and they relentlessly want to please their owners. Because of the stereotypical owner that fights these dogs and rewards aggression in them, our beaurocratic policies have chosen to deem them an unadoptable breed in our community. We plan to challenge the stereotype and rethink this archaic policy.
If you have found this blog, you are either a Pit Bull owner or an animal lover. You are ready to take action and let the persons responsible for this type of behavior know that they are not welcome in this community. You are ready to make Brazos Valley a place where you can own and enjoy this breed. You want to be part of the wave of optimism that has resulted from the coming together of our community of animal lovers to help heal the dogs currently fighting for their lives from the abuse that they sustained as well as the reputation of this breed in general. Long Way Home Animal Sanctuary is ready to take a leadership role in this endeavor. We have formed an action committee that is going to change the policies in our community that governs this breed, and we need your help.
Here is our immediate plan of action:
1. Further Develop a relationship with the Brazos Animal Shelter in College Station and the new entity that will be running the Finfeather location in Bryan. The Bryan location receives the majority of Pit Bulls. Both locations euthanize them and do not make them available for adoption no matter their temperament.
2. Finish our partially completed 8ft fencing so that we can immediately start taking in adoptable Pit Bulls to prepare them for their new family.
3. Develop a robust foster/adoption program, so that no friendly, social, loving Pit Bull has to die in the shelter.
4. Effective immediately, we offering a $500 reward for any information that leads to arrest for dog fighting or animal cruelty.
5. Provide the hub for the community to report suspicious activity and to centrally locate these comments so that members in our community can become vigilant in monitoring anything that could lead to tips to the authorities.
Here is how you can help right this moment:
1. Join our action committee! Reply to this post with your name and email address with any way that you can help with fostering, wanting to adopt, etc.
2. Reply to this post if you suspect dog fighting or cruelty. When? Where? How often?
3. Donate to our fence fund! We have $2,400 that is needed to get the fence built. We can then immediately start pulling adoptable Pit Bulls from the shelter to rehome.
4. Like Long Way Home Animal Sanctuary on Facebook and share our needs with your friends.
5. Earn $500 by providing a solid tip that leads to the arrest and conviction of the criminals who are involved in dog fighting in our community.
We will not stand for animal cruelty in Aggieland. We are a proud group of individuals who live honorably in a tight-knit town of animal lovers. Someone sees suspicious activity. Someone hears dogs fighting. Someone hears dogs screaming in pain. Someone knows someone who owns dogs that they fight.
Before, there has been no organization that will make this issue a priority. We are ready to step up for these dogs. Look into the eyes of Dulce, Blue, and Benoit or your own PB sitting by your feet, and let them know that we are doing something. We are fighting for them. No more adoptable Pit Bulls are going to die in the shelters or are going to be abused and discarded like trash. Not in Aggieland….
Dulce--My reason for fighting
Blue & Benoit--These Pit Bulls will only know love.
I’d love to help!! Adoptions. Possible foster. Pit bull education. Let me know!!
Amanda, I knew I could count you in! You love your spoiled PBs;)
Gwendolyn – I’m in big time.
I am willing to network, I also am a volunteer at BAS and I can be a liason there. I currently have a foster Pit but I am open to fostering more. I also have a relationship with another rescue BC Bully out of Canada who has rescued from Dallas area. I’m open to help where ever I am needed!!! 979-820-7138
Terry–Come by the clinic tomorrow so we can meet face-to-face. We have some exciting things brewing;)
You bring up some points, I’ve often brought up myself.
I would love to help any way possible. Just let me know.
Katherine, I have your email now and will be letting you know our next move….Thank you!
I can help by getting the word out about yall and maybe adoptions.
Roger–We need you! I’ll be getting back to everyone soon. I’m in the process of meeting with the board of the BAS and we can possibly begin very soon to start getting the PBs out of the kill shelter. Stay tuned!
Gwen, you know I love the Doxie’s. But this kind of abuse, neglect, and evilness makes me sick to my stomach. I am on alot of rescue groups and can network all over Texas. I also do alot of transports on the weekends. Sign me up!
Tami–I love the Doxies too–as you know, we have quite a few running around LWH and they are definitely sometimes abused and neglected, but the PBs steal my heart with how systematically they are mistreated and understood. It’s heartbreaking. I welcome all your networking opportunities!
I want to become part of the action committee
We have a PB, Larry, who is more like a human than any dog I’ve seen. My husband and kids would be lost without him. PBs are so misunderstood. We will do anything we can to help.
I rescued an APBT about 2 years ago. I never was the animal lover but Milo has stolen my heart. He is the most obedient, loving dog I have ever owned. I never have to tell him any command twice. I educate so many people who have the idea that pits are a mean or aggressive bread. I will send this link to some friends who have an interest in helping. Thank you for fighting for my babys breed.
Book marked, I enjoy your site!
Thank you! Come back often. We have some exciting changes plannned.
I, too, am an “accidental” pit bull owner. They are awesome, loving dogs. When I read the story in the paper saying the vets were “amazed” at how friendly and sweet the dogs were, even after their treatment I felt really sad that they expected anything different. That is the true Pit Bull spirit, loving, friendly and forgiving. I would very much like to be a part of this group. I would also love to have a local social organzaition, similar to one in Spring/the Woodlands area where Pit owners get together with their dogs and walk, etc.
I love pit bulls and i wish that more people believed in them and they have so much potential and are as loving as any other dog can be i hope there can be a breakthough and more people will allow them and see that they are just like anyother dog.
What happened to those poor puppies is so horrifying, so evil, so sick! Right now, the only way that I can help is to get the word out about your organization, and rest assured that if I even suspect someone of dog fighting, or harming an animal in any way, I will be on the phone to either the police or the sherrifs dept!
Dog fighting out here in Montgomery is very prevalent are you just looking to help with this issue soley in brazos county or are you willing to reach out across the state? There isn’t any help in place for the dogs out here in regards to the dog fighting issue.
Shauna–My stance is I won’t rest until no dog fighting occurs–anywhere. Montgomery is just 45 minutes down the road. Give me some details. You can email me privately at gwendolyn@mylongwayhome.org.
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Can I help build the fence? Transport whatever! !!! I lost my maximus almost three years ago….and everytime I see one that looks like him my heart breaks all over again and I cry. I love the breed more than any other (don’t tell my beagle or dingo tht)..
Do you do an extensive temperment analysis? I’ve rescued pits for several years now and one’s that have been extensively fought aren’t safe for adoptions. They might have to live the rest of their lives in a sanctuary.
Thank you for your concern… Most of our dogs that we will rehome will come from the Brazos Animal Shelter. They will only release the healthy, sociable, adoptable dogs that have been temperament tested to our organization. Of course, temperament testing can only go so far and one must assume that all dogs have some trigger for aggression. That is why we screen our homes carefully and make sure that the dog and potential adopter are a match. Our goal is to make sure that all the dogs we adopt will be excellent examples of the breed. You are right, though, dogs that have suffered extensive abuse require a much more secure and understanding environment, and a sanctuary is often the best place for them. Long Way Animal Sanctuary is home to one such Pit Bull that is court-ordered to never be adopted out, so we are aware that not all dogs can live in a traditional home setting.
–Gwendolyn
Hi Gwendolyn! I was so thrilled to hear that you were involved in helping out Vici/Vonn and Esperanza because they couldn’t have a better advocate. Please let me know if there’s any way that I can help you! I regularly transport rescues throughout central Texas and of course, I’m available for any photography needs you might have.
I am so thankful you exist. Thank you thank you thank you for everything you’re doing.
I am the proud parent of a 7 year old pit bull. What can I do to help?
Count me in!
I could use some help. My roommate and I adopted a little (already once-rescued) pitbull named Zeus last month. Our apartment complex has since seen him and has told us to get rid of him because he is a “dangerous breed.” Everyone in the complex who has met him would say the exact opposite; he has a perfect pit temperament and for us to pass him off to his third owner after being taken off the streets when he was born would be cruel. We are petitioning for the complex to change their policy and evaluate dogs on an individual basis (as my last complex did; they had no breed restrictions or size limits, only required to meet the dog in person at the house). This all just happened today, and I just wanted people to know that I will be petitioning, possibly in a public place later this week. I know that a petition might not get much done legally, but we don’t want to give him away again. I can use all the help I could get.
I am so sorry that I am just now getting back to you! I have been out of the state/country for a week or so…
I truly feel frustrated and outraged at your situation. Our PB Action committee was formed to address issues such as this that is an injustice to this breed. I would be happy to sign your petition and, if you can make it an online petition, I can direct our volunteers to the site and get some virtual signatures. There are several websites that allow you to create an online petition. Please keep me posted and you may contact me personally at gwendolyn@mylongwayhome.org. Good luck!
Gwendolyn