End BSL: Campaign Update!

We’re making a lot of progress with the Campaign to End BSL! Thanks to fabulous bloggers, the project has circled the internet, and the #endBSL Twitter hashtag is getting daily use! Thanks, everyone, for all your help and support.

So far, I’ve received $200 in donations to offset printing and mailing costs (thank you, thank you, thank you) and nearly 200 postcards! Let’s keep those postcards coming!

To provide a little inspiration, I wanted to share with you a package of postcards I received at the end of last week. There is an awe-inspiring dog named Gunny who lives in North Carolina. From his fan page, here’s Gunny’s story:

In May of 2008, Gunny was rescued from his life as a “Bait Dog” in illegal dog fighting activities. He underwent three complex surgeries to remove a badly mangled leg and to repair severe crush injuries to his throat. Gunny’s incredible will to live, and innately gentle nature, have gained him fans quite literally around the globe. He works diligently to educate the public about the horrors of dog fighting, the needs of animal rescues, and the myths about his breed. Gunny has been a key player in community programs around the Charlotte area. Recently, he paved the way to pilot an effort to link an elementary school with an animal rescue for educational and fundraising opportunities. Gunny is no stranger to the local TV news and paper, and was recently contacted by an international newspaper re: a possible highlight in an upcoming story on Dog Heroes. He won a nationwide search for The World’s Most Amazing Dog, earning a year’s worth of dog food (that he donated to the rescue group that saved his life) and a trip for his humans to ride in the Rose Parade. It was a unique opportunity to spread the news of this special boy around the West Coast.
Learn all the details of Gunny’s journey at: http://www.northmecklenburganimalrescue.org/id125.html

Gunny, in his role as a pit bull ambassador, has touched the lives of schoolchildren in North Carolina. Last week, I received a package of 44 postcards from 5th graders at one of the schools Gunny visited. I wanted to share a few with you because the messages are so simple and heart-felt that they’re incredibly inspiring! (Click to enlarge.)

I’m so impressed with how thoughtful these fifth graders are! My favorite phrase is on the cover above that says, “Be heartful to the dogs.” Love it.

So… campaign next steps:

• I’m writing letters to organizations, celebrities, and TV shows! I’m focusing on those who are sympathetic to pit bulls.
• Next week I will be reaching out to the press in Denver with a press release and individual follow ups. Thanks to so many of you, I’ve received emails with the names and direct email addresses of a lot of sympathetic journalists!
• I’m going to keep creating 5 postcards each week. In truth, I’m not considering this campaign a success only if we reach the 10,560 postcard goal. The main objective is to get Denver’s attention and get the Mayor to seriously reconsider his stance – it will only help his play for the governorship anyway! So now’s the time!

Keep sending in those postcards! Thanks to everyone who’s been blogging, tweeting, and Facebooking! Let’s keep it up!

And if you’ve blogged about BSL or the campaign, please leave the link in the comments! I’m trying to keep an eye out through a Google alert, but it seems to be missing a few blogs. I want to keep the link library updated. Plus, this Friday I’m putting together a little pit bull link love – send me a comment if you have a particular blog or post that you’d like me to check out for inclusion!

In the meantime, hope you’re all having a great week! Thank you for all your help and support to end BSL.