Who We Are

Annabelle's Second Chance is a small private organization. We have some volunteers in Central and Eastern NC as well as VA.  Our rescue began with a quest to rescue and adopt out a wonderful pit bull named Annabelle who has become our mascot and namesake. Annabelle's Second Chance received its 501(c) 3 June 2005. We have evolved through the years as a community resource. We are no longer as active and only occasionally have dogs for adoption.  We are not in the position to help very many but we can aid shelters and other groups in evaluating and placing their dogs. We can help spay/neuter pets and provide rehoming recommendations.

Our Mission:

Our mission is to teach responsible pet ownership, provide breed education and teach about the pet overpopulation and the importance of spay/neuter.  We also work with local shelters and animal control agencies to help them place their adoptable dogs. We will occasionally have a dog or two up for adoption as well but that is no longer our primary focus.  We work specifically with the bully breeds.  And by Bully Breeds, we mean the American Pit Bull Terrier and the American Staffordshire Terrier.  We have affection for the other related bully but not "pit bull" types such as the American Bulldog, Staffy Bull, some of the Mastiff types and even the American Bully.    We can provide breed identification as well as breed awareness and education.

We are also very passionate about spaying and neutering and promoting it at every opportunity.  The companion animal population is in a crisis that will only stop when we alter any and all stray/owned pet animals.  Education will be the key to ending the enormous pet overpopulation.   We wish a home for every pet and a pet for every home.

Goals:

Promote spaying and neutering. Help owners locate low cost spay/neuter resources for those that need assistance.  Provide recommendations for placement of owned dogs and occasionally take in and place for adoption rescued shelter dogs.  Accepting surrendered dogs from the public is not in our mission.  We are too small a program to be able to accept your unwanted pets and found strays.  We encourage all owners to be responsible for their decisions.  Provide breed education to those seeking knowledge.

Pit Bull Rescue Code of Ethics

WHY?

There is no easy answer to that question.  As unpaid volunteers, this means that time is taken away from our loved ones, our dogs, our friends, ourselves. Rescue is very stressful and often heartbreaking.  The rewards of saving that very special dog and finding it a loving family gives us the strength to continue.  We care deeply about unwanted dogs and because we can help. To us, these are living, breathing creatures with feelings. They are not *just dogs*. They are part of our hearts.

How Many Do You Help?

We do not set a yearly limit of how many dogs we help. We help as many as funds or time allows.  We will spay and neuter as many as we are able as long as they have a safe place to stay while they are waiting for a home. It isn't about quantity, it is about quality.  The few dogs that we have in rescue generally stay in rescue between 6-12 months or longer. It takes at least that long to fully vet a dog and have a good idea of their temperament and adoptability.

Euthanasia Policy

We do not have no kill philosophy and unfortunately have been faced with the grim task of euthanasia or recommending euthanasia to a caretaker or shelter. If, during a dog's time in rescue, we learn that the dog is not of sound temperament or has a terminal medical condition for which there is no treatment or for which the treatment exceeds our budget or that of a potential adopter, we will have the dog humanely euthanized. This is not a decision we enjoy making nor one that we take lightly.  Which is why we have cut back on our adoption program.  We carefully screen dogs we take into our program so that we do not have to make a difficult decision later.  We will make every effort to correct medical problems when we can.  Dogs with genetically poor temperament don't get better, only worse.  Since we work with "pit bulls" and believe in preserving the breed as it should be (see  breed info), we will not put the breed in jeopardy by adopting out a dog or recommending adoption for a dog that has shown any signs of aggression towards people, regardless of how small.

Position on “Fighting Dogs”

In recent years, more attention has been given to rehabilitating those dogs rescued from fighting situations.  Previously they had not been given much attention or chance at adoption.  Annabelle’s Second Chance has always taken in dogs based primarily on temperament, not past history or looks.  We do not begrudge these dogs a chance at a happy life. If a fighting dog is sound with people and has a great disposition and we had space in our program we would not exclude that dog from consideration.  We have taken in dogs over the years from rough backgrounds and those with unknown scarring without prejudice.  We have and will continue to take in dogs from a fighting background as space is available.  That said, we would not make space where there is none, stretch foster homes or otherwise compromise our current available dogs to take in rescued fighting dogs.  We do believe that dogs with a sound temperament deserve a chance regardless of where they came from. This breed is remarkably resilient and dogs can still thrive and succeed in spite of the abuse they have suffered.

Our Community Contributions

As we have changed our focus over the years, we have decided to donate our funds to worthy causes that we hold dear such as spay/neuter programs, programs that change the lives of tethered dogs and other pit bull rescues who are still actively fighting the good fight.  The programs we hold dear:  the Officer Outreach Program with Richmond Animal Control, Hello Bully, ROCK (rescue of chained K9s), Broken Hearts, Mended Souls and the Atlanta Underdog Initiative.  These are wonderful programs, worthy of our support and any support that our contributors can provide.

Click  here for a tribute to those who can not be saved