The Levitetz Family Foundation,inspired by President Jeff Levitetz's own rescue dog Dolly, started 'Dolly's Dream,'a program to support adoptions of bully breeds.
Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League is one group that partners with Dolly's Dream. "These are the types of dogs you see filling up shelters nationally," CEO Rich Anderson says.
And Peggy Adams is no exception. He says these dogs make up about 40% of dogs in their shelter, and they take much longer to adopt out.
At Peggy Adams however, you won't hear them called pit bulls. Instead, they are affectionately known as 'square heads.'
Tthe term pit bull is really a hindrance to getting these dogs adopted theses days," Anderson says. "These are the dogs filling up shelters primarily because they have a bad rap, people see a square head and they think pit bull and all of the negative media attention makes people think twice about adopting these dogs."
He says, "a dog is a dog is a dog." And every dog will have the right fit in the right home. "It doesn't matter what size or shape or breed a dog is, they all have unique personalities. That's one of the big unfortunate myths about pit bulls (that they are aggressive)."
At any one time, Peggy Adams has two dogs designated as Dolly's Dream dogs. If you adopt one of them, you will receive a free adoption and about $300 worth of freebies. Those include an ID tag, collar, harness, leash, training crate, dog bed, toys, 7 months pet insurance, and more.
Dolly's Dream not only helps the family that adopts the dog but provides incentives to partner rescues, too. They have a free spay and neuter program for 50 dogs a year, provide a medical fund, and gives them a $200 stipend when they take in one of those dogs from the county.
Daniella Jordan is the executive director of the Levitetz Family Foundation and has two rescues of her own. She says their ultimate mission is to get dogs adopted. "It's amazing, just from my point of view rescuing my own dogs, you see that you know you saved their life pretty much and they know it too. So they're appreciative," she says.
"Dolly's Dream is really helping to break down those stereotypes and break down those myths and will help get more and more adopted and and will save more and more of these dogs lives," Anderson says.
The program began in 2015 doing spay and neuter services for bully breed dogs and started sponsoring adoptions in 2016. Since then, Peggy Adams has adopted out 10 dogs through the program. Dolly's Dream is currently in 8 humane societies and rescues throughout Florida and has adopted out a total of 70 dogs.
To learn more about the Dolly's Dream dogs available at Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League,click here.
For more on the Levitetz Family Foundation, click here.