Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Christmas spirit, alive & well in Wisconsin...

My heart is filled with love, joy and the Christmas spirit because of what our friends, the Bullis family of Wisconsin, did last week.  I wish the world had more great people in it like them.  I'd like to tell you the story of a dog that is alive today because of them.

After my dog Princess died in February, I met many great people whose lives have been touched by our plight to remove pet treats made in China off of the store shelves in the U.S.  One of the ladies I talk to on Facebook, Debbie Davidson, lives in New York and posts pictures of dogs that are about to be put to sleep and need someone to adopt them.  I then cross share the pictures to honor the memory of Princess, hoping I can help another dog because I was unable to help her.

You just never know who may see a dog and feel compelled to save him.  That's exactly what happened last week with Bullis the PitBull from New York.  Below was his story attached to his picture that I shared on my Facebook wall after Debbie had shared it, after Montana Antler Chews & Dog Supplies shared it, and so on and so on.  You share it and ask everyone you know to share it hoping someone will adopt them.  This was his story:

I know it is late, but we have a CODE RED URGENT in New York!!! Please read all of Bullis' info below and SHARE, SHARE, SHARE!!!

Bullis
Male (Intact) 
Pit Bull
Brown with white spot on chest and feet.
Estimated to be 3 years old.
Bullis was found as a stray two weeks ago. His stray hold is up and he needs a place to go ASAP. Since he was a stray he will need vetting and to be neutered.
Bullis is a very sweet guy, but is very reserved. Best guess is that he was a kennel dog or tied outside in the past, so he is not used to lots of commotion or everyday human interaction. He has been tested with other dogs...he did great, no issues seen at all. He actually seems more confident around them. Despite being scared and nervous, he has shown ZERO aggression. Overall great boy, just needs time to be able to get comfortable and come out of his shell. He does have scars on his face, chin, around his his, in his ears, and a few on his body. Not exactly sure where they are from, but like said above his IS DOG FRIENDLY!
Bullis's time has RUN OUT. He was supposed to be PTS last Friday (11/30/2012), but he has captured our hearts so we are TRYING to buy him some more time in hopes that someone can step up to help/take him.
Bullis is located in Marilla, NY. Email @ dogsit101@aol.com, for more information. Please put "Bullis" or "Pitbull needing rescue" in the subject line, to be sure the email gets read.

I really didn't think any of my Chicago friends would be able to help but I posted his story anyway.  I also shared it with our good friends from Wisconsin, the Bullis Family.  I thought it was funny how this dog had their last name.  Elaine Bullis loves animals of all kinds.  More than anyone I've ever met.  They have many different kinds in their home and I always say their home is like Wild Kingdom.

Unbeknownst to me, THIS is what had been going on in the Bullis home the week before I sent them the picture of Bullis the PitBull from New York: 
  1. They had decided the week before that they were going to adopt a dog.    
  2. And not just any dog, they had decided they would adopt a rescued Pit Bull.  They would just have to save up the money for it first. 
  3. Mike Bullis' vacation at work was moved up a week, and so, unbelievably, here he was at home,  on vacation for a week, with what seemed like no plans.  
  4. They had saved up $500 for Christmas presents.  They realized with the Christmas money, they COULD rent a car and drive to New York to save him.  
All obstacles had been removed one by one making it all fall into place.  And, he literally had their name on him.  

Elaine Bullis read how this pit bull was a "Code Red", meaning his time had run out and he was about to be put to sleep.  She saw at the bottom it read, "if you're interested in helping, write Bullis, or Pit Bull needing rescue in the subject line."  So the story ended with words like "Bullis Pitbull needing rescue."  Elaine said she stared at his picture and story for 20 minutes.  Was this suppose to be their dog?

They asked their daughter Shayla, because all of their Christmas money would need to go to this trip to save this dog.  They'd have a new dog but not much else under the tree.  They all agreed it's what they wanted to do with their Christmas money.

So about a week ago, Mike Bullis rented a car and drove from Wisconsin to near Buffalo, New York and rescued Bullis the Pit Bull.  He is the sweetest most docile dog.  He loves all of them and their other dog Buddy already.  Here he is with Mike/his new dad his first day in Wisconsin.

The difference love makes is apparent in the pictures.  The before picture of him is below on the left, sad, about to be put to sleep in New York.  His after picture,below on the right, taken just a few days later, he is literally smiling for the camera at his new home in Wisconsin.  He has many cuts, bites and scrapes still healing on him.  It's obvious he was in at least one dog fight.  But he shows absolutely no aggression and just wants to be loved.

The story from NY said a few white spots on his chest.  
But when I saw this first picture (below) of him in Wisconsin,
I noticed that those white "spots" 
looked more like a Cross or Angels wings to me.
He WAS a perfect Christmas present!

I got to go meet "Bullis Bullis" the other day.  I cried knowing he would be dead by now if it wasn't for them.  But my tears turned to tears of joy because here he was, right in front of me, safe and loved in Wisconsin.

Buddy, me and Bullis Bullis at his new home in Wisconsin

The Bullis' family sacrifice to save the life of an animal has really touched me this Christmas.  They thanked me many times, said it's because of me.  They're wrong.  All I did was share a picture and a story of a dog in need of saving.  They did everything else.  They gave up material gifts for each other and gave the gift of life to this dog.

Everyone thinks they're nuts for doing this, for driving a thousand miles a week before Christmas, taking all their Christmas money to save a dog.  Not us. Their sacrifice showed true Christmas spirit.  They opened their home, their hearts, and their wallets to do this remarkable thing.  Now they have a beautiful new dog, with a home and hearts filled with love, as it should be at this time of year.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!




9 comments:

  1. such a beautiful heartwarming story.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much. They are great people and I thought everyone should know.

      Delete
  2. That's such a great story! It's nice to read a happy ending for a change these days. Merry Christmas!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you. Merry Christmas to you as well. He is the sweetest dog and deserved a second chance. They all do.

    ReplyDelete
  4. WOW... That story, Bev, is a GOD story. It wasn't fate or coincidence that caused this chain of events. It's the true Christmas magic of God. God bless YOU, Bullis and The Bullis family! And Merry Christmas to all!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I felt like it was a little bit of Christmas magic for sure. Merry Christmas to you and yours as well!

      Delete
  5. Thank you for a nice story with a happy ending. There are so many tragic stories about animals on the internet and I know they have to be posted because if they werent how would anyone know to help. Still it is so sweet to see one with a happy ending like this one and it couldnt have happened to a sweeter dog or nicer people.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree. Thank you for your kind words. Merry Christmas to you and yours.

      Delete