The past week

Since my last entry plenty has happened in my corner of BIN, last Sunday I took in another foster dog, yet again not a bullie, but one who desperately needed help. She was due to be put to sleep and with the combined efforts of people on the Bullie Bar and the Rescue Helpers United Forum we arranged a transport chain to get her from Wales to Lincolnshire. So what breed is she I hear you ask!! She is an American Bulldog and her name is now Rhubin - Rhubi for short, I am sure you can work out where her name has come from! She is around 2 years of age and has recently had a litter.

I am rather concerned about the amount of American Bulldogs that are in rescue at the moment, there doesn't seem to be any dedicated breed rescue, I just hope people in the breed organise something soon as we are getting more and more requests for help and there is nowhere to refer them to. We just don't have the resources to help them all.

If you check our Ebay shop regularly you will know about the series of coffee mugs that we are producing, this week I have been sorting out the picture for the next one that is due in February. I do still have a couple of the December ones left and a few of the January ones if you would like to start collecting them. This is the picture for the Feb one, it goes on one side of the mug and the BIN logo on the other side. You can collect all of them or just the ones you particularly like, and they make great gifts too!!

A fair bit of my time is taken up with answering e-mails and telephone calls. Some people have problems with their dogs but don't really want to rehome them, we do our best to work with them to help solve the problem so that they can keep their much loved pet which of course is much better all round. We also get calls from people who go to great lengths telling you all about their dog and they are adamant that they need it to go, we sort out someone to do an assessment on the dog and then we will get a call from the owner to say they have changed their mind. 2 days later they will call again and have decided that the dog has to go, we arrange for someone to pick it up and also go through the list of prospective owners, picking out someone who is suitable for that particular dog. Everything is sorted out and on the morning the dog is due to be collected phone rings, they have changed their mind again! Luckily a similar dog has come in as a stray and will suit the earmarked family, so we make arrangements to get that dog from the foster home to the adoptive family. No sooner has that dog gone than the original person rings and this time says she won't change her mind again but the dog has to go. Overall a fair amount of time and phone calls has already gone into this dog, but what can we do? We can wash our hands of it and say 'enough is enough', and let the woman fend for herself and her dog, but it is the dog we have to think about, it isn't him who keeps changing his mind, he doesn't have any say in it. I like to be able to sleep at night, not to lay awake worrying about what has happened to this dog we have turned away, or the elderly one we don't think we can find a home for, or to turn away a dog that is going to cost a bit in vets bills. This is why BIN doesn't refuse to help any bull terrier, we do it for the dog, not the owner. When we take on a dog that is a different breed we don't take the money out of the BIN funds as we don't want to deceive people who donate to help bull terriers, hence a raffle was set up to pay for Rhubi's expenses and so far all of Sonny's expenses have been paid for by myself.

I have also been looking into what attractions we may have at this years fun day, the rodeo bull was enjoyed by many last year and this year we want something a bit different so I have been doing a bit of research.

One of my own dogs has been ill since before Christmas and this week he spent a day at the vets having more tests and x-rays. When looking at his chest x-ray the vet thought he had the film the wrong way round because the heart was on the wrong side of the chest, but when he checked he realised he had it the right way! It isn't just a little bit over to the right, but right over that side. I would be very interested to hear from anyone who has also had a dog with this problem.

Thanks for reading my latest entry, if there is anything in particular you would like us to write about please do let us know.

A week in the life of a B.I.N Fosterer

George chilllin in the sun!

Hi my name is Joanne, I have been fostering for Bullies in Need for about 18 months. I am a proud to say I am a member of the failed foster club. It didn’t take long; George was my second foster dog he was 7 years old and through no fault of his own was given up by his previous owners. He had a few medical problems when he arrived so he stayed while he was recuperating. He was such a cuddle monster I could not let him go.

Bertie

Just after Christmas, Lisa the co-ordinator asked if we could foster a stray bull terrier that had been handed in at a Rescue Centre down south. The Rescue Centre had named him Big Bertie! He had a long journey to make up to Sheffield but it was all in preparation for finding him a new forever home. The volunteers of BIN did a great job with the transport run, he left the rescue centre at 10 am and he arrived at mine around 6pm. After the introductions we walked him around his new surroundings. The Rescue Centre were spot on he was one big dog! That evening he settled great in the BIN kennel. Bertie was a handful; he had so much energy and was very boisterous. We worked on his behaviours and he did calm down as the days went by. Lisa had sent me a questionnaire from someone who was interested in Bertie, so I gave them a call and arranged for them to visit at the weekend. The lady realised that Bertie wasn’t the dog for her as he had a lot of energy. He was like a whirlwind! I was very disappointed for Bertie, he deserved a forever home. Later that day I let Lisa know that the visit had not been a success. She had a few more questionnaires completed for Bertie so I made a few more phone calls. I called a family from Cheshire who was eager to meet him the following day. I knew we had a great volunteer in Cheshire who had completed the final part of the transport run for Bertie so I gave her a call to see if she could do the home assessment for the Family. They arranged to visit the Family's home the Sunday morning before they came to meet him. Things were looking up for Bertie.
The family were great with Bertie, we took him for a walk and the Dad kept him under control all the way round, Bertie really could pull on a lead when he wanted to! They stayed at mine for a few hours; the teenage kids were good with him too. They took him home later that Sunday. He was going to live with another female Bullie called Suki. I said my goodbyes and he never looked back. In the evening I got a called from the family to say that they had arrived home safely and he was playing great in the garden with his new girlfriend Suki!

The fostering is very rewarding, I love the happy endings. If you are interested in fostering for Bullies In Need please get in touch with Lisa, her details are on the website

manchester walk

well we all went for a walk in clifton park on sunday the 13th jan our first for this yr. What a turn out 20+ english bull terrriers were there and not one cross word even tho it was muddy no one complained, it was nice to chat to other bully owners and about there dogs and nice to see b.i.n dogs there that have found a home, i took a b.i.n dog with me called albert and while he was there he baged him self a loving home they are being homechecked this week and with a bit of luck will be in his home by weekend lounging it up. please keep an eye on the web site for more walks in the north west next time tho the walk is again in clifton park on 24th feb and the manchester evening news is going to be there how cool is that, good press for our beloved breed i was estatic to learn this as mandy sent the picture that i have put up to them and they were interested in running an article, and the papers are now involved in most of the walks this should be great for our breed well enough talking from me please keep an eye out on the walks doesnt have to be a bull terrier to come and enjoy your selves come a long and join in the fun, even if you dont own a dog and just want to see what a bully is like please come along i am sure we can educate you on what we do what we are about and especially about the bull terrier signing off lisa

Hello from Sarah

Hi everyone,

I'm Sarah and I live in Staffordshire. I became involved with Bullies In Need in May 2005, when we adopted our beautiful girl Soli. I joined the Bullie Bar forum then and began to volunteer to help with homechecks and dog assessments. I now regularly do both across the whole of the Midlands area whenever I can fit them in round my full-time job. We adopted another BIN bullie in November 2006, my lovely boy Ozzy. I also try to attend as many fund-raising days as I can around the country , helping out where possible and ran the Dog Show at the last BIN Funday in Mablethorpe last August.

Had a busy bullie day today, as I had an assessment to do on a male bullie currently living about 40 miles away from me who needs to find a new home. It was lovely to meet him as he is a very friendly boy. Spent some time with him, asking his current owner many questions and seeing how he responded to me and took plenty of pictures to use on his write-up for the BIN website.

On the way home, I stopped off at a friends house who is a fosterer for BIN, as well as having her own bullie girl. She has just taken in a new foster dog who was a stray from a pound, so I went to see how she is getting on with him and to meet him of course ! Although in pretty poor health at the moment, he is a smashing boy. We wrote up an assessment together and I took some pictures of him too for the website , as his foster mum has no internet access at the moment. After plenty of kisses for him and her bullie girl too, set off home to do the full write-ups for the website and send them and the photographs to Lisa and then to spend some quality time with my two babies.

A busy but enjoyable day - cuddles from 5 bullies, what could be nicer !!

Where does the time go?

There is one thing about being so involved with BIN, you never get bored, there just isn't time!

If you read the blog regularly you will know that Lisa and Mandy bought me a new foster dog on Sunday, his name is now Sonny, new life, new name. That is him on the left, he is such a lovely little fella, but so very active, he has obviously not had any training so I have been spending time with him teaching him a few manners and we are getting somewhere.

He has spent most of his life in a cellar and I think that now he is out in the wide world he doesn't want to be enclosed again. His kennel has a lovely spacious sleeping area with a bed and cushions and blankets, however, he drags them out into the run part and lays on them out there, not the best thing to do when it has been raining, it means my washing machine is on the go constantly to keep up with a supply of dry blankets. If anyone knows of an old working twin tub hidden away somewhere both Lisa and I could do with one for our kennel dogs, the constant use of our own washing machines isn't good for them and our own clothes are all embedded with dog hairs !!

I have also still been busy getting diaries, calendars and other merchandise ready for posting. Printing labels and getting packages ready is quite time consuming, so the shop system is shortly to be changed. I shall be in charge of getting the merchandise but it will be going to Helen in the main for her to distribute it, this should give me much more time for embroidering the t-shirts and other items, she will then keep a stock and when a certain garment is getting low on stock I can replenish it. Hopefully this will mean you will get things much more quickly.

I have several new designs coming out for this summer, one to look out for is a Hawaain bullie pup, with shirt and shades on, this will be on the front of the t-shirts and on the back is the rear view of the pup with shorts on!! This is a smaller version of the designs. Don't ask me for them yet though because it will be a few weeks before they are ready

I also start the preparations for the fun day now, it may seem a long way of but certain things have to be booked early otherwise they are difficult to come by. I will try to get an ice cream van that will actually turn up this year! The firm we usually use were all booked up last year so I tried a different one, unfortunately vandals broke in wrecking some of the vans a few days before the fun day and they didn't let me know, so on one of the hottest days of the summer we had no ice cream, if I had known I could have made alternative arrangements. The poor girl who usually brings the dog wash broke down on the way so there was nothing we could do about that. And of course the usual venue couldn't be used because with all the rain the farmer had been unable to get the grass cut in time, all in all a bit of a stressful time, but it all went ok on the day, apart from all the gazebos being wrecked in the wind of course.

Another task that takes up a lot of my time is replying to e-mails, I get many each day asking for information on aspects of BIN, I usually reply to them in order of urgency, unless a 2 or 3 word answer will suffice, so if you send an e-mail to me and don't get a reply for a while don't worry I do usually get round to them eventually, if you don't get a reply in a few days do please send again because it may mean it hasn't actually got to me. I don't often ignore them, only if someone is being downright rude (yes I do get ones like that too).

I also now take the general enquiries phone calls, this frees Lisa's time up a bit for the rehoming related calls, some people call at funny times to ask the most peculiar questions! One day I will collate a few of them for your amusement! Of course I would never laugh at the genuine calls, as some people do get concerned over things that to me seem normal, but I mean the sort of things that aren't related to what we do at all.

At the beginning of the week I had an electrician and his apprentice here for a couple of days, they were putting a new fuse box in and then the supply out to the kennel, they couldn't have picked a muddier time to do it, they had to dig a channel to put the cable in and now I have more of a bog at the back instead of a lawn, at least there is now heating and lighting in the kennel though and that is the main thing. It is done just in time for the next occupant due here in the middle of the week - watch this space.

If you enjoy reading this blog please do leave your comments, or if there is something you would like us to write about then let us know, we do read them.

Have a great weekend and give them bullies a big cuddle from me!

Hi my name is Helen.......

Hi I am Helen (Karmadog on the forum) and I have been involved with Bullies in Need since near on the start. I joined the Bullie Bar forum when my first bullie was a young puppy and have been addicted ever since. I am now Assistant Admin for the forum so get to spend even longer on there!



Over the years I have made some great friends through B.I.N and I hope to play an active part for many years to come.

I have taken in numerous foster bullies over the years and also carry out homechecks and dog assessments in the Hampshire and Southern areas.

I seem to take in the foster bullies that need that bit of extra tlc and regular medication and vets trips.

You never know what will happen from one day to the next as I can sometimes spend all day on the phone trying to find homes/transport etc for various B.I.N dogs or giving worried owners advice about dog skin problems.

However my main 'job' at Bullies in Need is fundraising.

Bullies in Need need a regular income coming in. Each week we have yet more dogs being signed over to us all of whom will need at least one trip to the vets and more often than not will need spaying or nuetering.

I have been holding auctions on the Bullie Bar forum now since the early summer. I try to hold at least one a month. The auctions are great fun as well as a fantastic way to raise a few needy pounds.

Forum members have been so kind in donating items for us to auction. We usually have a good selection of goods including Bull Terrier novelties and B.I.N merchandise.

I have been busy over the last couple of weeks organising the current auction. We now have over 60 items up for grabs and the bids are flying in. The current auction will end on Monday 14th January at 6pm.

The auctions and more information about how to take part can be found in the auction section of the Bullie Bar forum. .

I also run the Bullies in Need eBay shop and try to keep it up to date with our latest merchandise. We currently have different coloured B.I.N dog bandanas, B.I.N Calenders, Diaries, Mug's etc for sale.

A great achievement!

Yesterday I met a friend for the very first time, I have known Mandy via the internet for years, but had never actually met her, that has now changed, it was lovely to finally see her. She came with Lisa on her regular trip, she visits me every few weeks and collects food and other supplies for her kennel dogs, we discuss various aspects of BIN work and often she either brings or collects a foster dog. This time she collected a lovely young Staffy cross on her way that I had agreed to help out, he is the most lovable boy you could wish to meet, you will soon see him on the web site.

This time Lisa also collected something that bit extra special, most of you will know that we have been raising funds for a van, the situation was becoming rather desperate but we didn't want to get anything that wasn't in really good condition. Well a supporter of ours told us that if we could raise a decent deposit they would take out a loan to cover the rest of the cost, we could then make the payments when we could afford it. They agreed that they would cover the costs if we were unable to cover the payments. It is nice to know that there won't be any pressure on us if we get a particularly heavy month with vets bills, but we will be doing our very best to raise enough money to cover it.

Here I am handing the keys over to Lisa, unfortunately the graphics weren't put on in time for Lisa to collect, but as soon as they are on another picture will be taken.

I would like to take the opportunity to thank everyone who has worked so hard to enable us to get this van, many of you have done fund raising and without you we would never have been able to achieve this.

Another busy day

Once again unwanted bullies are coming out of the woodwork, strays are appearing all over the country. If you have lost your bullie please do get in contact with us as you never know your luck. we do keep an eye on Dogs Lost web site, but it is always better to be safe than sorry.

Today I have been preparing a kennel for a new dog that is coming in with me tomorrow, I always look forward to getting new dogs because I know it is the begining of a wonderful new life for them. It is very easy to become attached to foster dogs, but there is no better feeling than to know you have helped a dog on the road to his new life, seeing them go off with their new families really gives you a buzz.
If you would like to become a foster home for us then please do get in contact and someone will talk to you about it. You do get support from experienced fosterers and expenses are paid too. If you are worried about having a foster dog for a lengthy period and can't manage then then no worries, we do also need short term emergency places too. Sometimes it is essential to find a place of safety for a dog and are only given a few hours to sort it out. To know that there is somewhere for that dog to go would be a tremendous help.

Lisa is bringing my new dog tomorrow, I have been busy getting a few pieces of merchandise ready for her to take back with her to take on the north west bullie walk. If you don't belong to the Bullie Bar forum you won't know about these regional walks. Every now and again a walk is arranged in various regions of the country, people and their bullies meet up to have a nice walk together and a chit chat. Everyone is most welcome, if you are interested leave a message in the comments part of this message and someone will be in touch, just put which region you are in so the right person contacts you. We are trying to make sure that there is a small selection of merchandise available to purchase on the day.
Lisa is also coming over to collect something else, it is really exciting and I can't wait to tell you about it, but I am going to keep you in suspense for at least another day!! Watch this space!

ALL ABOUT B.I.N FUN DAY

Every year we have one special day that dedicates the whole day to b.i.n dogs people come from as far as Scotland to come to this day, we all have a great weekend either camping or in doggy friendly hotels, in and around Mablethorpe .

This years b.i.n fun day is august the 3rd again in Mablethorpe venue i will add later. Anyone with any kind of dog can come as it is fun, we have competitions on like best 6 legs, dog looks most like the owner, most handsome dog, most prettiest bitch, and lots more.

Every bit of money that we raise goes back into the needy bullies that come our way like castration, spaying, other vet bills - blood tests etc. these all mount up, but on the day it is all about the dogs.

We have a bullies in need parade where all the dogs that have been helped one way or another all join in a circle this is the point i always cry ..... butttttt it is tears of happiness of all the lucky dogs that now have new homes, out of all of them we pick one special dog that melted a lot of peoples hearts and that dog becomes b.i.n dog of the year and a special prize is awarded.

We also have b.i.n helper of the year to 1 person who stands out the most who helps tirelessly home checking, assessments, transport runs with no thought of there own this is always a difficult one as every body in some way or another helps out.

All in all it is a fantastic day don't think about coming, just come I guarantee a fabulous day out if you don't laugh or cry or join in the fun you have not had a good day there are other attractions there as well each year it just gets bigger and bigger so if you own a dog doesn't have to be a Bully come along and join in the fun and see how crazy we all are and devoted to this breed Lisa

Hi, I'm Linda!

Hi Everyone!

My name is Linda & i live in Glasgow. I have been involved with B.I.N for around 3yrs now. I was compelled to help after stumbling across the B.I.N website whilst doodling around on the internet one day. I emailed Ann offering to do anything i could & the rest is history!

I have Buster, my 8yr old Bullie boy who is pictured here with me. I took him in when he was 14mths so can't imagie life without him now. Buster is my first dog.... what a breed to initiate yourself with! Now, i can't imagine being without a Bullie. Buster is great with other dogs, which allows me to foster for B.I.N. It's very rewarding taking in a dog who is down on their luck & helping them to find the perfect forever home. I love it!! I have also been involved with fundraising, transporting, homechecking & follow up visits.

On new years day i went along to Rhu marina to cheer Teresa & Alistair Green on with their sponsored swim in the Clyde! I first met Teresa & Alistair about 9 months ago when i visited them to carry out their homecheck. They have since become friends & the very proud parents of Vinnie, their stunning B.I.N boy. After Vinnie was settled, i popped back for their follow up visit & to meet the main man in the flesh!!

New years day in Scotland is not known for being tropical, but still Teresa & Alistair donned their swimmies & braved the icy waters, to raise funds for our beloved breed. The least i could do was offer my support & express the gratitude of all our Bullies In Need.

Accompanying me on the day was Scarlet, my current B.I.N foster. It was lovely for them to see first hand, exactly the dogs their sponsorship money would help to support.

Well, that's me!

Speak to you again soon,

Linda xxx

hi guys lisa here

hi there i am lisa and i am the re homing co ordinator for bullies in need my role is i rehome all the english bull terriers and crosses that come into b.i.n, i get all the emails with the questionaires etc etc , i also have a team of people up and down the country that do the homechecking, acessments, transport runs, and fostering as well as my self doing these things to i own 3 kennels my self that is never empty all year round they have one dog or another in them, i have been rehoming co-ordinator now for 3 yrs going into my 4th year, i am owned and loved by 3 bull terriers all rescue troy my boy daisy who is deaf and lucy a mini bully, i have 3 teen lads simon and jason 20yr old damian who helps with the runs and my daughter 21,I love doing what i do for b.i.n and would not want it any other way it keeps me busy and makes me smile every day i would like to say thanks to all the people that open there doors to a homeless bully weather it a full bt or cross and thanks to the team of helpers up and down the country in ireland to well thats me i will be adding to this as i go a long this is just a bit of the insight as to what i do

New Years Swim

We have some brilliant supporters who do a variety of things to raise funds for BIN, but none more crazy than Teresa and Alistair who decided that a dip in sub zero temperatures in the River Clyde on New Years Day would be a novel way of getting people to put their hands in their pockets!! It worked anyway, because they had about £300 pledged by friends, family and members of the Bullie Bar forum. I will give you the correct total when it all comes in.
They were encouraged and supported on the day by Linda who will probably give you an account of the day, meanwhile here are a few pictures that she took of the event, it makes you shiver just to look at them!