LIVERPOOL, N.Y. (NCC News) – From a young age, Stephanie Ciszewski has had a furry companion in her life.
“When I was 17-years-old, I got a pit bull. It was random, it wasn’t expected. That dog became my best friend,” Ciszewski said.
Her childhood pit bull, Rocky, was the difference maker for her to want to help this specific breed of dogs. She could relate to them because of her own childhood experiences.
“I came from a broken home. My mom, my dad, I kind of felt like I never fit in. Pit bulls are the same, misunderstood. Kind of the low man on the totem pole,” Ciszewski said.
Since starting Recycle-A-Bull Bully Breed Rescue in 2011 with her husband, the organization works with shelters from around Central New York to bring in bulldog breeds into foster homes, and eventually find permanent adoption.
There are a few obstacles, though.
On Saturday, RABBBR held a fundraiser at Flamingo Bowl in Liverpool, where people could stop by, visit the dogs up for adoption, and interact with the organization firsthand. This wasn’t a one off at a special location either.
“We try to get the dogs out and have meet and greets because we don’t have a facility. Holding community events in stores like Tractor Supply, Country Max, allows them to see the dogs and maybe purchase merchandise,” Ciszewski said.
Another hurdle Ciszewski and RABBBR has had to overcome is the application process since COVID began.
According to Frontiers in Veterinary Science, dog and cat adoptions went up 250% from 2019 to 2020. Since then, Ciszewski said her organization has received an influx of surrender applications. This means that dog owners are looking to return their animal to a shelter or rescue because they can’t or don’t want to take care of it anymore.
This is forcing Ciszewski and her team to go through what she calls a thorough vetting process of applicants looking to foster or adopt.
“Those were questions we asked during COVID. ‘Are you adopting this dog because of COVID?’ ‘If and when things go back to normal, what is your plan then,’” Ciszewski said.
According to Best Friends Animal Society, 82.6% more animals were surrendered since 2020.
Ciszewski said that because of what she went through growing up, and the stigma around pit bulls as a breed, she wants to make sure that when these dogs find a home, it’s something permanent. As long as the right applicant steps forward, that’s all she cares about.
“We’re not about quantity, we’re about quality,” Ciszewski said.