DONE! (fundraising, that is!)

Bully BULLY!

We're so happy to report that you did it - You helped us raise 100K to make a modest BR holding facility a reality, and you did it with a bang. We were inching our way towards 'Done!' in the final push of our campaign when an anonymous donor came through and donated the last 8K to rocket us over the finish line. We were dancing like crazed fools around here with the good news.

Raising that kind of money during such dry times was a tall order, but this campaign came together in only six months time. Amazing. We're proud to tell you that every single dollar came from a "common Joe" pit bull owner or supporter and in many cases, their employee matching donations ... We didn't receive any monies from large orgs; it all spilled out in heartfelt gifts large and small from real people all over the country. This is the power of the love that exists for these dogs.

To be honest we've been holding this happy news for a couple of weeks, but needed to fuzz out a bit while we dealt with the death of our pet. Losing Simon before the barn was done was especially hard; I'd really hoped it would be completed before he left us so he could bless it with his smiles, like he's done for so many BR projects over the years. We decided to bury our friend next to the barn - under its front porch, actually - so his big happy spirit can watch over every dog and human who uses this space.

Despite the heartbreak in our holidays, it felt great knowing that we would be able to start the new year without needing to beg up funds for the bones of the project anymore. A huge relief!

But what about that barn you ask?! Where are the photos of the finished product? I wish we could show them to you, but we've been in a holding pattern since December as we deal with city furloughs and temperamental employees in our broke city, variances, and yet more building permit delays ... What a hassle! We've heard what a pain it can be to do things by the book, but this is starting to feel like Chinese water torture. We're doing our very best to be patient knowing that there are plenty of dogs out there who need help.

While we tap our fingers over the permit sign-offs (once we're signed off, our contractor predicts 2-3 weeks to complete), we're pulling together the final materials needed to make this place a dog home. We're lovin' the windows! At the bottom of this post, check out the little video of trainer Linda Chwistek and her boy Audie having some fun in the yard just outside the barn. A sign of happy times to come!



Listed are the names of the people who helped us cross the finish line of this fundraiser....Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!

Susan Mitchell, Lindsey Wetterhahn, Kristen Hopkins, Aimee Chagnon, Edward Mittlestaedt, William Wilson, Robert Morisky, Maria Paladino, Sarah Covert Flory, Todd Antonuk, Katherins Pitts, Myra Tamanaha, Mark Johnson, Rachelle Valente, F. Matthew Zanner, Patricia Weisenberger, SWM Automotive, Andrea Stout, Julia Price, Jeanine Hebdon, Jennie Pack, Sue Hildebrandt, Jenifer Usher Toyomi Stinson, Sara Gann, Shaun Niel, Carol Lane, Tracy powell, Lisa Parmley, Michele Burbano, Angela Chua, Naalie Bowen, Carol Toms, Donna Smith, Mark Paul, LisaMarie Wame, Joyce Chen, Pablo Diaz, Tom Schmiegel, Robert McNicholas, Janel McDonald, Devera Shapiro, Laurence Berland, Nafija Weston, Kellin Defiel, Sherin Halfon, Elains Goodwin, Mary Jo Cananico, Daniel Roll, Nina Glikshtern, Richard Stewart, Katherine Nichols, Deborah G. Meads, Dorothy Mora, Nicole Vonderheide, Beverly Lawrence, Veronice Selco, Elaine Kuo, Amanda Williams, Joseph Tinner, Kaelin Dodd, William Thompson, Carolyn Mcintosh, Anna M. Stone, Kolleen Dohermann, Donna Blackwell, Esther Shir, Kare J. Anderson, Luisa Serrano, Anita Michel, Christine Mcgettigan, Debra Mittleman, Natalie Ucci, Sharon Scharm Harris, Sheri Cardo, Cris Cohen, Thomas Strother, Roxanne Alden, Molly Fleischner, Carly Selzer, Letti de Little, Renee Beltrenena, Cathlyn Valera, Michael Balter, Serena Gelb, Maria Harrington, Berth Cannon, Jill Morrow, Karen Jansson, Jamie Reilly, Pamela Quarterly, Emiliy Farrell, Louie Bernardo, Herther R Hanly, Kathleen Watkins, Carl M Classon, Vanna Pichel, Katie Moyer, Renee Bea, Karen Anderson, Deassa Binstock, Holly Schneider and Erin Oconnor.