Find out more about the Sula Foundation at our full-featured website, www.sulafoundation.org

Friday, December 31, 2010

Just in time for a new year: A new website


Our new website is a work in progress, but it is now finally up and running at www.sulafoundation.org. Please check it out as it continues to expand and promote our upcoming events and adoptable dogs. Meanwhile, this blog will continue to give more information from behind the scenes.

Also just in time for the new year: our beautiful new certificate, available to our donors in their own name, or in honor of another. Contributions are tax-deductible, and they make it possible for us to continue with our programs in 2011. You can donate via the Paypal button on the right. Happy New Year!

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Happy Holidays


Join us Tuesday December 21st from 6-8pm
at Canine Culture
for pit bull carols and holiday cheer.

Also, be sure to order your 2011 calendar and support our work in the new year:

Our 2011 Calendar features dozens of photos and pit bulls, including the French Quarter, Lucky Dogs, Jackson Square, Meauxbar, City Park, Hanson's snowballs and more. Also: Christian, Jewish and New Orleans holidays. We earn more via PayPal, but you can also order it from Amazon.



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Monday, November 29, 2010

Bonnie: The ups and downs of a pit bull's recovery

In July, BAD RAP asked us to take in a little girl dog who was part of a dog-fighting case in Florida. Our updates on her have been infrequent because of a number of complications she has encountered. When she first arrived, she was diagnosed with cortical blindness. She walked in figure eights. She couldn't go up ...or down stairs to get into the yard. Through it all she has remained happy and determined. She now can do the stairs and walk in a straight line. But her increased mobility has led to new problems. Her bow-leggedness has caused recurri...ng ankle sprains. And she has a distinct heart murmur. We'll be consulting with a specialist to see what, if anything, can be done to solve that issue. Meanwhile, he's a video from a few months ago:

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Get "The Dogs Who Found Me" signed by Ken Foster and Brando







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Thursday, November 11, 2010

"My Pit Bull is a Saint" t-shirts now available via mail order


Printed on 100% cotton American Apparel, in women's sizes S through XL; Unisex M through 3XL; $20 plus shipping. Please allow up to two weeks for delivery (although it will likely come much faster than that.)



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Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Our new website is coming...

We are busy designing a new website, which will be up soon! Meanwhile, if you are in New Orleans, stop by the NOLA Bookfair this Saturday on Frenchmen Street from 11-6pm and check out the 2011 Pit Bulls of New Orleans calendar!

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

October 16th Barkmarket features low-cost vaccinations, free spay/neuter appointments and art!

Saturday, October 16th, 10am-4pm
Markey Park, Piety Street between Dauphine and Royal

The Sula Foundation, a New Orleans non-profit that promotes responsible pit bull ownership, will be providing another round low-cost vaccinations for pit bulls at just $15; $45 for other breeds. The Foundation, through a partnership with Animal Farm Foundation, will also be taking appointments for free spay and neuter surgeries for pit bulls.

The event also marks the release of the 2011 Pit Bulls of New Orleans calendar, which features pet pits enjoying the city at locations such as Hanson's, City Park, Meauxbar, and other hot spots.

In addition, there will be:
art vendors and dog vendors
rescue groups (there is no fee for rescue groups to participate)
raffles
dog training demos
a dog wash and other resources

For more information on the market, visit the Bywater Artmarket website and The Sula Foundation's website at www.sulafoundation.org.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

The Pit Bulls of New Orleans 2011 Calendar now shipping!


Our 2011 Calendar features dozens of photos and pit bulls, including the French Quarter, Lucky Dogs, Jackson Square, Meauxbar, City Park, Hanson's snowballs and more. Also: Christian, Jewish and New Orleans holidays. We earn more via PayPal, but you can also order it from Amazon.



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Meet our dogs--and win a copy of Jim Gorant's "The Lost Dogs"


This Saturday, we'll be in the French Quarter at Gallery Rinard with a few of our most adoptable dogs. Stop by between 11am and 1pm and you could win a copy of Jim Gorant's new book "The Lost Dogs," which tells the story of what happened to Michael Vick's dogs after being taken from his custody. It's a great, inspiring story that shows the true, resilient nature of these great dogs.

Saturday, September 18th, 11am-1pm
Gallery Rinard
723 Royal Street
New Orleans, LA

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Commemorate Katrina with our Sula dogs on August 28th




This Saturday, August 28th, we'll be marking the anniversary of Katrina with an Open House at Just Dogs Bakery in the French Quarter. Join us for fancy dog treats, and meet our crew of foster dogs, all of whom are waiting to find their permanent homes.

11am-2pm, Saturday August 28th
Just Dogs Gourmet Bakery
813 Royal Street
New Orleans, LA

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Help pay for Perry's knee surgery


Recently we told you about Perry, who was transferred from the Louisiana SPCA's adoption room and then diagnosed with a serious orthopedic problem in both knees. He's recooperating from the procedures, but now we're hoping to replace the funds that were used to pay the bill. If we reach our goal, we hope to be able to expand to two low-cost vaccination clinic events this fall.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

July events, Gulf Coast Aid, and a New Pup

We have a number of great events coming up in the next two weeks--including a gallery event this weekend, the first No Fleas market on the 24th, a July 29th happy hour at Capdeville and a volunteer training session on the 31st. We'll get to that later, but first we have a few updates--and a new pup to introduce.

If you watched Anderson Cooper on CNN last night, you probably heard about the Louisiana SPCA's Gulf Coast Companion Animal Relief program. Next week, The Sula Foundation will be providing volunteer support to staff the program's locations in the outlying parishes. We also want to thank Ellen Gilmore at Best Friends. After The Sula Foundation contacted her at the end of May, Ellen began working on ways in which Best Friends could most effectively partner with the broad needs of those affected by the economic hardships of the oil spill. On July 1st, Best Friends delivered to the SPCA a 20 ton donation of dog food from Del Monte, which was immediately available for distribution to area shelters. You can read more about Best Friends' efforts, and their First Home Forever program, at their website.

Perry swims at Canine Connection.
Perry
Meanwhile, Perry, our recent transfer from the LA-SPCA, has run into some unexpected trouble. He's certainly been coming out of his shell, thanks to the attention of his foster parent and the staff at Canine Connection. But the more active he became, the more we began to notice periodic limping, which has been diagnosed as Medial Patellar Luxation. As you might imagine from the number of syllables, this is an expensive problem to solve, requiring surgery on both legs to correct the architecture of his knees.

About the same time that Perry was being diagnosed, Sanjaylittle Sanjay dropped, almost literally, into our laps. We won't go into the details, except to say that we were faced with a choice that made it easy to bend the rules a bit to accept a dreaded puppy even as we were beyond capacity. And why did we name him Sanjay? Last month BAD RAP, in Oakland, asked us to judge a naming contest for a little of puppies they had just taken in. (They also donated 10% of the contest proceeds to the Sula Foundation. Thanks guys!) One of the winning names was Sanjay (you can read all about the pups and their names here), and it must be a lucky name, because within a week he'd found a home and shed his name to pass it on to our little guy. Sanjay is currently being treated for non-contagious mange, and playing with some of the best pit bulls we know.

With so many surgeries to pay for and dogs to help, we've kicked up our summer schedule:

Saturday July 17th, 11:00am-2:00pm
Open House at Gallery Rinard, 738 Royal Street
"Come meet the dogs"

Saturday July 24th, 10:00am-2:00pm
NO Fleas Market at Canine Connection
$10 Dog Wash, microchips, adoptable dogs and flea market

Thursday July 29th, 5:30-7:30pm
Happy Hour at Capdeville
2-for-1 Drinks; $2 off local draft beers

Saturday July 31st, 10:00am-1:00pm
Volunteer training--"Come learn more about The Sula Foundation, dog handling, and how you can help"
Location TBA

Friday, June 25, 2010

Meet Gladys, Perry and Marisa

In the past month or so, we've had several of our dogs go to wonderful new homes, including the ever-popular Blue, Ohio hoarding-case survivor Kianna, deaf Mississippi hoarding survivor Peggy, and, happily, the delightful Dusty, who has been with us for more than a year and now gets to share a home with two children. Of course, all of that means it is time to take in a few new dogs. Meet our newest trio:

Perry
Perry
Perry is a young male who is a bit shy around strangers. He was lucky enough to be chosen for the LA-SPCA's "All-Stars" program, funded by Animal Farm Foundation. The program provides six weeks of training while the dogs are included in the adoption program at the shelter; unfortunately, Perry didn't get much interest from the public, so we were happy to take him and give him more time to get socialized and ready for a home.

While we were evaluating Perry, we couldn't help
Gladys
Gladys
noticing Gladys, a blue brindle girl who had been dropped at the shelter by someone who had offered to take her once the five-day hold was up. But they never came back. Gladys is heartworm positive, and will be treated in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, she is proving to be quite a charmer--and we suspect she may even enjoy the company of cats.

Marisa
Marisa
Last, but certainly not least, we have Marisa, who was the victim of abuse in St. John Parish, where the shelter is not allowed to adopt out pit bulls. Once Marisa's court case was finished, the shelter employees contacted us to see if we could take another dog. Despite her abuse, Marisa LOVES people, does quite a happy dance, and provides more kisses than we've received (from anyone) in a long, long time.

If you find yourself doing a bit more of your shopping online in the heat of the summer, please remember that you can generate donations to The Sula Foundation just by shopping via www.iGive.com. Hundreds of shopping sites, including Barnes and Noble, Pottery Barn, Williams-Sonoma, Gap and common brands--will donate up to 10% of your purchase.
In our last newsletter, we showed off the special Sula collar designed by Paco Collars. Now, Paco Collars and Fetching Tags will donate 20% of any purchases of their collars, leads, leashes and tags. Just use the code LASU01. Thank you!

A few weeks ago, we joined LiteracyCorps/ Americorps to bring dogs to the EvenAnnie's Journey Start program in Marrero. Among the dogs volunteering that day: our wonderful dogfight-bust survivor, Annie, who has been living with a family since January. Annie loves her own two kids, so having a bunch of strangers line up to read to her was a great way to spend the day.

Friday, June 4, 2010


It is hard to believe a month has passed since Sula's passing, and with that milestone comes...hurricane season.  The LA/SPCA has a great page of tips for hurricane preparation; in short: be sure you know several places that you can evacuate to with your pets; have crates ready for each animal; bring copies of vet records; have their favorite food and toys on hand (or pre-packed through the season); and be sure your animals have collars and tags as well as microchips for identification. 

Speaking of collars, we're thrilled with the gorgeous Sula collar that was launched yesterday by Paco Collars.  Paco collars create exquisite, hand-crafted leather leads, collars and leashes.  "The Sula" features a diamond pattern modeled after our Sula's white diamond marking on the back of her neck.  A portion of all sales of the collar will be donated to The Sula Foundation, and through June 7th, 20% will be coming our way.  Check out "The Sula" and other collars at their website; they may be a little more than you are used to spending, but they are worth every penny. 

Some additional uplifting news: two of our foster girls,Blue Blue and Kianna, were adopted this week, and we have several more adoptions in progress.  Because we're slow careful with our adoption process, we've changed the name of our "adoption days" to "open houses," and we invite people to meet our available foster dogs, learn more about the breed, and share ideas about our ongoing work on behalf of the pit bull. 

Our next Open House will be held:
Saturday, June 5th
Noon-2pm
Freret Market
Freret and Napoleon Avenue

Another upcoming event: On Saturday June 12th, we'll be taking some of our foster dogs, as well as a few graduates, to team with Literacy Americorps to help a group of all-ages with their reading skills.  The dogs will sit and listen, without judgment, while students practice reading aloud.  We'll send out more information on this next week, but if you are interested in volunteering with us for this or other events, please be sure that we have your volunteer application on file by contacting volunteer@sulafoundation.org

We're also working on a program to assist the pets and families of fishermen (and fisherwomen) affected by the Gulf Oil spill.  And...be sure to check out the website for the soon-to-open NO FLEAS market, where you can clean out your closets and earmark the proceeds to go your favorite local rescue organization.  (May we suggest The Sula Foundation?)

That's it for now.  We hope to see you soon.


Saturday, May 22, 2010

In the French Quarter today!

Stop by and see us (and a few dogs)

We'll be at Gallery Rinard,
723 Royal Street

from 11-2, with Monday, Kiana, Peggy and other special guests.

Monday, May 10, 2010

Remembering Sula

The following was sent to subscribers of our email list:

Early this week, my dog Sula passed away.  This is the kind of thing for which you can never prepare yourself; I wake up every day to find a blank spot in my daily routine.  The house is too quiet.  The other dogs don't know what to do. 

I know that Sula meant a lot to other people too, which is why I am sharing this news publicly (in an essay at Salon.com), while at the same time mourning privately.  At some point in the future, we will have an event to celebrate her life and her legacy. 

Sula's arrival
Sula discovery
Sula showed up on St. Patrick's Day in 2004.  In the past six years: she has been the subject of a memoir and numerous news features and essays; she has appeared on television interviews in New Orleans, Gulfport, and Memphis.  She was a guest at the St. Louis Film Festival and discussed on NPR's Fresh Air.  Her image was plastered on large posters all around the city of Los Angeles.  Her story has been translated into Turkish and Japanese.  She had a very full life and helped to save the lives of countless other pit bulls around the country and the world.

More than that, I loved her and she loved me.  And I miss her.

We have already begun to receive donations in her name, which will go toward paying medical bills for other stray pit bulls; donations can be made by PayPal to sulafoundation@gmail.com or by mail.  But we also know that Sula would also be honored if you chose to give something to your own local pit-friendly rescue, in her name.  Or by volunteering a few extra hours at a local shelter, and thinking of her while you are there. 



Sincerely,

Ken Foster
The Sula Foundation
PO Box 3780
New Orleans, LA 70117

The Sula Foundation is a 501c3 public charity.


Thursday, May 6, 2010

Sula Foster, 2003-2010


Sula passed away earlier this week. We'll share more, including memorial plans, at a future date. Meanwhile, please keep her, and us, in your thoughts.

We would like to thank those of you who have made donations to the Sula Foundation in her memory. We know Sula would also appreciate any gifts you give in her memory to your own local pit bull friendly shelter or rescue group.

Read Ken's essay at Salon.com.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Customize Your Pit Bull--Free Spay Neuter available through The Sula Foundation

With three bad examples of ownership now in the news, it is the perfect time to show off your responsibility by customizing your pet pit bull with free spay and neuter surgeries. For more info, contact info@sulafoundation.org.

Friday, April 2, 2010

Dog Safety is not Breed Specific

This past week, we were devastated to learn of two incidents involving roaming pit bulls attacking children in the city of New Orleans. We have been following these cases closely, as well as the ensuing media coverage. The owners in both incidents have been identified and cited by the Animal Control officers working with the Louisiana SPCA. The two little girls involved are recovering from their injuries.

Both incidents were entirely preventable. In spite of media coverage highlighting the breed of the dogs involved, dog safety is not breed specific. Earlier this week, an 11-year old in Washington was mauled by a mixed breed dog; in Concord, California, a young girl sustained serious injuries after being bitten by a yellow lab; in Vicksburg, Mississippi, a child was attacked by the family's cur; and so on.

In light of this, we want to reiterate our standards for responsible dog ownership (of any breed):
*Never leave your dogs unsupervised, even in a fenced yard.
*Always supervise interactions between dogs and children.
*Report any stray or aggressive dogs in your neighborhood--don't wait until something happens.
*Never allow your dog to walk or roam off-leash--no matter how well-behaved.

Unfortunately, rather than focusing on individual dogs and their owner, "pit bulls" continue to garner the headlines. On WWL radio, Tommy Tucker was heard telling his listeners that pit bulls should be shot and "sent to doggie heaven and be done with." It is not appropriate for mainstream media to encourage people to shoot family pets--and it doesn't feel like something that would make the community safer. ABC26 has posted a poll on banning pit bulls--a costly practice that has actually resulted in increased dog bites in other cities. None of this hysteria promotes safety.

With so much misinformation being recirculated on the airwaves, we thought it was a good time to remind people of some of the basic facts:
*Pit bulls do NOT have "stronger jaws" than other breeds; all dogs, on average, have a bite with 320 lbs of pressure per square inch.
*Pit bulls do NOT have "locking jaws"; the University of Georgia found that there were no differences in jaw structure between pit bulls and other dogs
*The CDC does NOT track dog breeds involved in bites and does NOT endorse the suggestion that a dog's breed is a predictor of behavior; an often-cited CDC study of dog breeds has actually been discredited by the CDC on their own website.
*Pit bulls do NOT attack without warning; a study by the University of Veterinary Medicine in Hanover, Germany found that "pit bulls signal like other dogs."

If you would like more information on the truth about pit bulls, including some helpful, printer-ready handouts, go to Animal Farm Foundation.

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Join us for Margaritas on April 1st!

In honor of the anniversary of Bad Rap, April 1st is "Buy a Pit Bull Rescuer a Margarita" Day. And our friends at Juan's Flying Burrito are offering pit bull people 2 for 1 margaritas. Bring a cell phone loaded with pit bull photos for proof -- and for the fun of showing off your pups.

We will be at the Juan's Flying Burrito located at 2018 Magazine Street in New Orleans from 6PM to 8PM.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Thank you for celebrating with us


If you have our 2010 calendar, you know that March 17th is the anniversary of Sula finding Ken Foster; this weekend also marked the second anniversary of The Sula Foundation. We want to thank everyone who came to the Barkmarket to help us celebrate, including the 59 dogs who came for low-cost vaccinations (34 were pit bulls!)

This gorgeous cake was made by the Cake Cafe at Spain and Chartres in New Orleans.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Monday, February 22, 2010

Join us at the Barkmarket Saturday March 20th




Saturday March 20th: Bywater Barkmarket, 10am-4pm
The Bywater Art Market turns into the Barkmarket, with proceeds going to The Sula Foundation!
We'll be on hand with our low-cost vaccination clinic: $15 for pit bulls; $45 for other breeds
Other rescue groups are invited to attend. Local artists will be showing their work; dog vendors too! With a performance by the Hot 8 Brass Band.
Markey Park, Piety between Royal and Dauphine, New Orleans

Saturday March 27-Sunday March 28th: Deconstructing the Growl
North Coast Dogs presents a conference on dog aggression and the human response to it. For more information
go to North Coast Dogs.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Here's Jacques


Jacques is a deaf pit bull puppy who was abandoned by his breeder several weeks ago. We were called for help because, at the time, the City of New Orleans still didn't have a contract for animal control. We were able to turn him into the shelter for a five day waiting period, and line up a new home for him while he was vaccinated and neutered. How did we manage to find the right home so quickly? In this case, we have to say it was luck. Pure luck.

Monday, January 25, 2010

Take the Super Bowl Pledge: Support the Saints and the pit bulls of New Orleans


Here's the deal: dogs aren't allowed at the Super Bowl. Not only that, the ticket prices are so outrageous, our pit bulls would rather see the money spent on our spay/neuter campaign and vaccination clinics, not to mention a few other top secret projects in the works. So they hatched this plan.

We're asking everyone to take a Super Bowl Pledge to donate to The Sula Foundation:
$5 per Saints touchdown
$1 per Saints field goal
and an extra $10 for the win.

When you the game comes around on February 7th, you'll have two reasons to cheer: for the team, and for the pits.

There are quite a few pit bull fans among the Saints team, and we'll be sure to let the team know ahead of game-time how much each score will earn their home-town dogs.

To take the pledge, just email us at sulafoundation@gmail.com with "Superbowl Pledge" in the subject line.

And remember, no matter what happens, the pit bulls will be winners in the end.


Total pledged so far:
$151 per touchdown
$32 per field goal
$310 for the win

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Mimi makes an appearance on Good Morning New Orleans

 

Vaccination Clinic, January 9th, Lower Ninth Ward

The Sula Foundation, New Orleans' pit bull advocacy group, will sponsor a low-cost vaccination clinic on Saturday January 9, from 1-4pm at the Sankofa Market at St. Claude and Caffin in the Lower Ninth Ward. Working in conjunction with Dr. Jessica's "Pets R Our World" mobile veterinary clinic, the following services will be offered:

For pit bulls: $15 for complete vaccinations (including rabies, bordetella and distemper)
Appointments for FREE spay/neuter surgeries

For all other breeds: $45 for complete vaccinations.