From the folks at Bad Rap, a wonderful Pit Bull rescue in the San Fransico Bay Area:

If you're a pit bull owner, no doubt you've become strangely accustomed to living under a microscope. We endure public scrutiny and condemnation for - of all things - enjoying a breed that's been America’s sweetheart for over 150 years.

Our dogs are good teachers: They've taught us to strip down to the basics, ignore the naysayers and just...LIVE.

Celebrate the spirit of bold innocence with our BAD RAP Exposed 2008 Calendar, photographed on some of California’s most beautiful beaches. We’re proud to say that, freckles and all, pit bull owners have nothing to hide!

$20 plus shipping
order here!
Mine is on the way!

Gary

Last week I was surfing the Bad Rap blog and shed waaaaayyyyyy too many tears reading about a dog they called Gary. Gary was pulled him from a shelter all skin, bones and fleas, as a compassion case. Bad Rap planned to send him off to the bridge with peace, dignity and love instead of letting him die in a shelter all scared and alone. I don't know of any rescue group that pulls dogs from shelters to give them compassionate care. If that isn't one of the most selfless, kindest things I have ever heard in all my days. You can read about Gary and see his video on the Bad Rap Blog.
Bring a tissue.

The Gary chronicles start here. Scroll down to the middle of September's page and then look for more on Gary in October. Gary made great strides in foster care, and almost made it to a home of his own.

From the very first Gary entry on the Bad Rap Blog:

This boney guy was covered in hundreds of fleas on his scarred, filthy dirty, starving little body. Just another day in an urban animal shelter. He was nobody's dog and he was basically, already dead. But he managed to look us in the eye with the calmest look of quiet resignation. Suckers-R-We ... we only meant to give him a bath before he went to meet his Maker, but his brown eyes sold us a bill of goods and five baths later, we loaded him up in the car.

When we can manage it, our group will take home compassion cases for the purpose of letting them die in peace after a few days of rest, love and sunshine. We don't talk about it much because, frankly, it's both painful and controversial. Why save a dog only to put it to sleep?!

RIP Gary, I know who you will be waiting for at the bridge.