Rescuing the Underdog

By Kim Federico

In animal rescue, the one thing you learn extremely fast is that the work never stops. You might think, during a moment of quiet, that you finally have a chance to take a break, but then out of nowhere a litter of puppies appears and they end up in your kitchen. But even though the work is exhausting and seemingly never ending, it is also often the reason that you get up in the morning and feel fulfilled at the end of the day. At least that’s how it is for the volunteers who run HugABull Advocacy & Rescue Society. Founded in 2003 by a group of strong-minded, intelligent and passionate women, HugABull is committed to rescuing pit bulltype dogs (or bully breeds, as we prefer, since pit bull is an umbrella term) from local shelters and working to change the way the world feels about them. While the faces at HugABull have changed many times over the years, the mission has remained the same, and we have been fortunate to grow as an organization, expanding our reach by offering several truly special programs to better support our communities.

Why bully breeds?

Bully breeds are the underdogs of the dog world, and unfairly so. As a result of breed stigma and irresponsible ownership, bully breeds are by far the most surrendered and abused dogs within the shelter system. But there is so much to love about them – the majority of bullies that we’ve come across are affectionate, the best cuddlers, goofy, people-oriented and unconditionally loving – not even close to the image that's portrayed in the media. However, as a result of their bad rap, they suffer at the hands of humans in so many ways. They attract the wrong people. Unfortunately, because of their reputation, bully breeds attract irresponsible owners who want dogs that seem tough and mean. In fact, the biggest predictors of whether a dog will be aggressive are poor breeding, improper training, insufficient socialization during development and improper behavioral management by owners. When bully breeds are tested on The American Temperament Test, which is the gold standard in canine temperament testing, they have some of the highest pass rates (86%) and are amongst the top ten most tested breeds. The bottom line is that poor treatment of any dog of any breed will result in bad behavior.

Bully breeds are victims of Breed Specific Legislation (BSL). Despite having clear evidence that it is ineffective, inhumane and very expensive, many cities still implement BSL,which entail varied practices ranging from mandatory muzzling, leashing and containment restrictions, higher licensing fees, higher penalties for violations, mandatory liability insurance, mandatory spay/neuter, automatic euthanasia in shelters, and even complete breed bans. It is important to point out that BSL is not supported by organizations like the Canadian and American Kennel Clubs, the BC and Canadian Veterinary Associations, Humane Societies, and the SPCA.

Why doesn’t BSL work? You can’t, with any degree of certainty, determine a dog's breed through visual identification, and abiding by laws that use such methods is fundamentally flawed. BSL is also very expensive as it poses additional legal challenges and requires more animal control services. And let’s be real,when it comes to compliance, irresponsible owners are unlikely to abide by such laws, which means that BSL is more likely to punish responsible dog owners.

So what does work? Promoting responsible ownership and addressing dog behavior holistically reduces the number of dog attacks. We can leave breed out of it. At the end of the day, owners need to be held accountable for their dogs and their behavior, not the other way around.

Bully breeds are villainized by the media. There is an undeniable bias towards ‘pit bull’ stories in the media. In fact, many news websites use them as clickbait. However, the reality is that there is absolutely no scientific evidence to suggest that bully breeds attack more often, or more severely, than other breeds. Unfortunately, that's the impression that the public is left with when the only dog attacks that are reported on the news involve bully While more progressive media outlets are choosing to leave dog breeds out of their stories altogether, it is an uphill battle. That’s why HugABull works so hard to change the perception of bully breeds by promoting responsible ownership, educating the public and adopting out breed ambassadors.

Throughout the years, we have come across bullies who have endured immense trauma – dogs that have been beaten, burned, starved, attacked by other animals, who were injured and left for dead. We welcome these bullies into our program and are continually amazed at their resiliency and ability to remain so loving. This is why we fight so hard for them.

Where do our dogs come from?

While we serve the entire province of British Columbia, our rescue efforts often take us from one end to the other and sometimes even to other parts of Canada. HugABull works primarily with local shelters in a supportive capacity, taking in high-need medical cases, terminal dogs, dogs with behavioral issues, as well as those who cannot cope with kennel life. We also work with several reputable rescues and occasionally accept owner surrendered dogs on a case-by-case basis.

HugABull prioritizes helping bully breeds in Canada and therefore we do not take in dogs from other countries.

We believe that the public holds themisconception that Canada doesn’t have a dog overpopulation problem, or that dogs in Canada are treated better than in other countries, but that's not true. We have entered a companion animal crisis of sorts. Shelters across the country are bursting at the seams and the number of homeless animals is at an all-time high. Dogs are being abandoned, they are starving and dying outside, and they are also being culled in parts of Canada. For these reasons, we are proud to support our local Canadian dogs.

We are incredibly grateful for the relationships we’ve built with our local shelters and especially our partner rescues – Bully Buddies, Bullies in Need, The Farm Rescue and Victoria Humane Society. We are so thankful to work alongside such wonderful people as these relationships are invaluable and enable us to collaborate to transfer dogs to one another and share resources, as we work towards the same goals.

What do we do?

The past year has been a busy one for HugABull and we successfully rescued/fostered/adopted/transferred a total of 104 dogs! This is something we are extremely proud of considering we’re an entirely volunteer-run, non-profit and are funded solely by donations, fundraising efforts and grants. What’s special about our rescue program is that all of our dogs reside in foster homes until they find their forever homes. We hope that someday we will have a physical facility to alleviate some of the challenges we face at times, like needing emergency foster spots for dogs, the ability to provide further assessments, the convenience of having storage space, and being able to utilize additional volunteers. For now, however, that remains a dream. When we welcome dogs into our care, they spend the first month decompressing with their new foster family which gives us enough time to get to know them, and understand what their needs are before we begin looking for their forever family. We cover the costs of all of their care (food, supplies, vet care- you name it) which allows our foster families to focus on providing a loving, caring home. To date we have adopted over 1500 wonderful breed ambassadors to responsible and loving homes!

One of our most meaningful programs is our Compassion Care program. Sometimes we take a dog out of the shelter only to learn that a medical issue is more serious than anticipated. Other times, we knowingly take dogs into our program that have terminal illnesses so that they can live out the rest of their days in the comfort of a loving home, and where we can ensure that they receive the best care possible. This past year we lost three of our Compassion Care dogs, Marvin, Diego and Mavis. Diego came into our program at 15 years old when his owner couldn’t care for him any longer – he passed peacefully at the incredible age of 17. Marvin came to us after being found as a stray and was diagnosed with a debilitating mobility issue. Although he was only with us for a year before he crossed the rainbow bridge, he touched the hearts of so many. Mavis was a severely neglected senior with the kindest soul. She was diagnosed with terminal cancer and spent her last months with a family who treasured every minute she was with them. Another Compassion Care dog, Ted, has been with HugABull for over three years after being diagnosed with an aggressive cancer and we are grateful for every day that he’s with us.

Last year we created a new program called Canines in the Community. We wanted to offer free training support, education, and resources to dog owners in an effort to build safer communities. We believe that by providing these services at no charge we can help to remove any barriers that may prevent dog owners from receiving professional help. On a monthly basis, HugABull runs reactive dog classes led by Certified Professional Dog Trainers from Magnolia Dog Training. These classes are open to all breeds and the feedback that we’ve received has been incredibly positive. We also offer a free collar exchange program that allows people to exchange their aversive training collar – which HugABull disavows – for a brand-new harness. We also plan on hosting low-cost spay and neuter initiatives in various cities where we know pet overpopulation is an issue. Our programs are always evolving as we try to meet the needs of our communities.

We were extremely excited when we launched the Reach Program in 2021 as a way of giving back and sharing our resources with those in need. We work with vulnerable populations to provide food and supplies, low cost spay/ neuter initiatives and veterinary care assistance. Up to now we have successfully spayed/neutered over 70 pets and have distributed thousands of pounds of food and supplies! Most importantly, through Reach we have built positive relationships with several new communities, including SROs on the Downtown Eastside, and several Indigenous communities throughout the Fraser Valley. To expand on this success we plan to start a new branch of Reach which we are calling Indigenous Reach. We recognize that there is a strong need for support in many of our local Indigenous communities and we are really passionate about helping in whatever ways we can. For example, in BC, December was especially cold this year and we partnered with the Hope Pet Food Bank to supply straw and food for many animals in the area. It really does take a village sometimes.

HugABull is truly a team effort and none of what we’ve accomplished could have been possible without our incredible volunteers and donors. As a charity that relies solely on the kindness and generosity of others, we are eternally overwhelmed and grateful for the support we receive, and the many forms it comes in. It is so easy to get lost in the flurry of dogs that we encounter through our programs, but when we finally have a moment to step back and reflect, we are truly amazed at what HugABull has accomplished (on top of our full-time jobs). Funnily enough, as we finish writing this very article, eleven puppies and their mama sleep soundly at our feet, rescued from an abandoned house the night before. Our hearts are full knowing brighter days lay ahead of them and that we were able to play a part in their journey to a better future.