Regardless of how lovable you may think they are, pit bulls need rescuing just as much as any other kind of dog.  In fact, according to statistics, pit bull type dogs are the most abused and misunderstood dogs in the US! And they need caretakers and loving homes!

Marcy Setter, a volunteer for Pit Bull Rescue Central explains why they need saving and what her organization, a virtual pet shelter and educational resource center, is doing to help the cause. 

What is Pit Bull Rescue Central and what are its goals?

Pit Bull Rescue Central, Inc. (PBRC) is an online virtual shelter and educational resource center for owners, rescuers, caretakers and shelters dedicated to the American Pit Bull Terrier, the American Staffordshire Terrier and pit bull mixes.  PBRC has been on-line since 1996 and became a 501(c) 3, in July of 2002.  Our organization is 100% volunteer run.  PBRC volunteers come across the United States, Canada and Europe.  Our volunteers are extremely knowledgeable and include: veterinarians, technicians, dog trainers, shelter personnel, rescuers and pit bull owners.

Perhaps Sixties singer Peggy Lee put it best when she sang about a man who had more than just her on his arm: 

He goes on the prowl each night,
Like an alley cat.
Looking for some new delight,
Like an alley cat.

Unfortunately, alley cats are stereotypically known for being just as the singer describes: sneaky, cunning, conniving, and always on the prowl. 

Ironically, as Maggie Funkhouser knows, they are so much more lovable than that when you take them into your home.  And the organization Alley Cat Rescue: The National Cat Protection Association, is making it that much easier to do so.  Maggie, a spokesperson for the organization, tell us these cats can be surprisingly lovable and often in need of human assistance.  

Don't confuse tortoises with sea turtle. They aren't one and the same.  Susan made that quite clear to me when I interviewed the founder of the American Tortoise Rescue organization. "Don't worry," she said, "It's confusing for most people."

It's quite simple.  Tortoises dwell on land, while their marine cousins, sea turtles, make their home in the sea.  

Unfortunately, both are endangered species and in need of some serious rescuing.  

The American Tortoise Rescue is a place for info about the care, feeding, and rehabilitation of endangered and captive-bred tortoises.  They help to abolish "live market" slaughter of turtles, illegal selling of hatchlings, and the importation and exportation of a variety of tortoise species and keep them away from everyday threats. 

Though they have rescued well over 3,000 turtles and tortoises (which Susan will tell you about later), they house, give or take, about 125 of them.

Will there ever be a day where no more homeless pets roam the streets? Best Friends Animal Society says yes and they're working on it! 

The non-profit charity organization works with shelters, rescue groups, and their own members to ensure stray cats, dogs and other animals are sheltered, adopted, and taken care of for the rest of their life.

They've opened their own sanctuary in Angel Canyon, Utah provide programs for adoption, spay/neutering and education and manage the Best Friend Network among loads of other services.

The group was started in Arizona in the 1970s when a group of animal enthusiasts were fed up with various humane societies who felt they had no choice but to kill off animals rather then provide programs for adoption and rehabilitation.

Carol Thorpe has some "happy tales" to share as she talks enthusiastically about the founding and creation of the Happy Tails Rescue organization, a small, but popular dog rescue and adoption volunteer group in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, Canada, that began as a small group to rescue Bichon and Maltese dogs but soon expanded to include rescues of many small breeds. 

The Happy Tails Rescue President and Director also tells us of the wonderful success stories of the dogs the group has saved and rehashes her opinion on the animal rescue "industry"

Of the many animal rescue organizations we've interviewed in the past few weeks (some of which will be published in upcoming weeks,) Happy Tails may be the smallest, but that doesn't keep it from being the biggest and brightest--at least where its hopes and dreams are concerned.  Fortunately, the rescued dogs, with those "happy tails," are the ones that get the better end of the deal. Read on to find out just how that happens: