Puggles & Pitties is a very small rescue based in San Diego, CA. We rescue just a handful of dogs at a time, rehabilitate them as necessary, and find their new forever homes. Our focus is on puggles, pit bull-type dogs, and boxers.
Saving Lives…
The puggles we rescue mostly come from rural shelters in states like MO, IL, IA, OK, OH, KY, and GA. We’re frequently asked why we rescue those dogs and not local dogs. The fact of the matter is that very few puggles are dying in the shelters in Southern California (and if you know of one at risk, let us know)! The rural shelters we work with have 90% euthanasia rates (meaning that’s how many of their dogs are killed) and they are horrible places. The facilities usually have 3 – 5 runs each; the kennels are generally outdoors regardless of the climate, and there are too many dogs crammed together into each kennel. Some of the shelters are still using gas chambers to put the dogs down.
To learn more about rural shelters and gas chambers, visit this LINK.
In addition, puppy mills are more commonly located in mostly agricultural states. When the dogs can no longer be sold as cute little puppies (i.e., they reach 6 months of age) the millers get rid of them. If the dogs are lucky, they’re dumped in a shelter.
Occasionally we receive puggles from owners who are no longer able to take care of them. Please contact us directly if you are looking for a rescue to whom you can surrender your puggle.
We ONLY rescue pitties from Southern CA because we must be able to evaluate them directly before committing to them.
…Rehabilitating Souls.
Some dogs come to us with physical ailments that need to be treated or fixed. Those are the easy things to do, they just take money. Fix a broken leg, repair a cherry eye, treat demodectic mange…if we have the money, we won’t shy away from a dog with any physical injuries.
Where the real work comes in is with rehabilitating the dogs’ hearts and souls. Whether we’ve gotten them from an animal shelter or directly from an owner, these dogs have no idea how they’ve ended up where they are and why they’re suddenly with us. They don’t understand getting lost and picked up by animal control, never to be reclaimed by their mom or dad. They don’t understand divorce or financial hardship or allergies. Dogs are loyal until the end, and they don’t understand any of the reasons humans come up with for giving away their beloved family member.
To be sure, these dogs are lost, confused, sad, lonely, depressed, scared, uncertain…any adjective you want to put on someone who has just lost their home for reasons they can’t comprehend. In addition, some of these dogs need additional training. Whatever the reason given for getting rid of a dog, usually the real reason is that the dog has never been trained and has no doggie manners. If they’re no longer a cute puppy, people don’t often want to put up with their antics. So we use positive reinforcement training in order to teach them the basics of good dog behavior.
Some dogs come to us very insecure. We don’t pretend to know why; inadequate socialization as puppies, sheltered lives as adults, abusive owners…the list of possible explanations is endless really. These dogs go through basic obedience training; intensive socialization with the other dogs in the rescue and in the foster home; gradual introduction to their new outside environment through regular walks and other exercise; plus confidence-building through specialized, FUN training and activities. We really work hard to overcome whatever damage has been done to them in the past so they can go on to live healthy, happy, confident lives in their forever home.
Teaching dogs how to be dogs – well-behaved, confident, happy dogs – is what we mean when we say we “rehabilitate souls.” It’s one of the most rewarding parts of what we do.
