Hello Celebritys

Puppies, puppies, PUPPIES.

Is it our imagination, or are there more puppies showing up at our Shots Fairs than in previous years? Our autumn outreach event took place in Vallejo this past weekend and attracted some of the town's busiest backyard breeders with their wares in tow, along with a plethora of the newest fad dogs - the American Bullies.
At least one backyard breeder admitted to subscribing to the age-old vocation of selling dogs to help make ends meet. With foreclosed houses on nearly every street, it gets hard to blame them.

Below: Ye olde days. Not so different from today.



Several Vallejo homes are cashing in on the new American Bully fad with homespun kennels. They're still a relatively new dog on the scene, so breeders are still getting crazy-good money for fathead pups. But the arrival of dogs like BR's Huck (right) in our shelters is a sign of what's in store...

...A supply and demand overload that will add up to a glut of fatheads in the shelters and dropping puppy prices on the streets. Anyday now, get yer Ambully pups at a Safeway parking lot near you! (Sigh)

Despite the head-bang that comes from seeing so many pups-at-risk, the Shots Fairs continue to give us hope. There's the shy family who marveled at how easy it was to teach their rowdy blue pup how to 'Sit.' And the moustached senior who brought his out-dated, wrinkled up spay/neuter voucher to exchange for an up-to-date voucher that he can use on his dog (Hey, time flies). Or the family whose dog was already spayed, but who stood in line just for training advice.

We gave away dozens of free microchips, some puppy shots, spay/neuter vouchers, leashes/collars, educational hand-outs and a whole lotta advice. In return, we enjoyed a great day in the sun and some warm welcomes from Shots Fair clients. As we packed up and pulled out of the park, an older gentleman waved good-bye and hollered from his seat at a picnic table, "When are you coming back?"

Maybe sometime next year. 'Til then, we're scheming new ways to spread our resources around to the many different pockets of bay area pit bull owners that need a little help for their dogs.

Thank you Vallejo. And good luck, little pups.


Above, the steady-eddie Shot Fair crew after a good day's work. Thank you Kim and Christine for your organizational magic!