Today we’d like to introduce you to Monica Febles.
Monica – please kick things off for us. Where does this story begin?
We are a rescue group in Houston, Texas, comprised of members who love bully breeds and have made the choice to educate and advocate for this misunderstood breed. We will fight for their lives and show the world this magnificent breed that has been tarnished by dog fighters, criminals and negative media. Brave Bully Rescue began when the founders discovered three Pit bull puppies that were dumped in their neighborhood. They reached out to a few Houston shelters and learned that they would be euthanized. So they decided to network on Facebook, asking for help from local rescues. They realized how bad the overpopulation of Pit Bulls and strays consumed in Houston, Texas. Rescues were full and the amount of bully breed rescues in Houston was limited. So they took to the internet in order to network and share Pit Bulls who were on death row in high-kill shelters.
Eric Febles and I started organizing the rescue and finding others that shared our passion for the breed. Brave Bully Rescue began on March 14, 2014 and have saved almost 300 lives to date. Our goal is to instill a positive presence of advocacy for responsible bully breed ownership and to find the adoptable bullies a loving forever home.
Brave Bully Rescue strives to educate their adopted families and help their adopted bullies become ambassadors for the breed by providing local obedience training.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Rescue has many obstacles such as the shortage of foster homes and not enough funds to cover hard cases such dogs needing major surgeries and medical care. Fosters are the lifeline to our rescue! Without them the amount of bullies we can save is limited. We solely depend on donations from our supporters so without them we are also very limited how many bullies we can save. We have almost 12k followers and supporters so it has helped our rescue tremendously in overcoming some obstacles.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Brave Bully Rescue – what should we know?
I am the Founder/President of the rescue so my main focus is to advocate and educate on Pit Bulls. I love doing educational outreach such at schools. So we can educate children and parents of a very misunderstood breed. Also to educate on spay/neuter and heartworm prevention.
I am also in charge on raising funds for our rescue through fundraisers, events and sponsors. My job is to make sure the rescue runs smoothly as possible and all of our dogs are taken care of.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
My husband Eric Febles, he is who pushed me to start BBR and has been my main cheerleader and supporter since day one!
My partner Catherine Ramirez has been my partner in rescue since the day we started. She is my right hand person! She is a huge asset to BBR.
Natalie Fernandez is our Adoption Coordinator and she handles adoption applications, runs back ground checks, assist in adoption events, transport and so much more! She has been with us for a little over 2years and she is a great
member to BBR!
Jennifer Bettell had been a long term foster to BBR and now a full time volunteer. She helps us with foster applications, emails, events, events and so much more! She has been a huge help to BBR. We are very happy to have her in our volunteer team!
Pricing:
- Our dogs over 8 months are $175
- Our dogs under 8 months $225
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bravebullyrescue.org
- Email: info@bravebullyrescue.org
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
Marquita Ranges
July 10, 2017 at 12:45 am
These people are the greatest. I was one who once thought pitbull? I don’t think so, going by all the negative media out there about them. Then I came across a picture of Gracie when I was searching for a replacement companion after my Mopar and Ozzie (American Bulldogs) passed away. Her story and face haunted me for days, then I finally contacted Brave Bully Rescue inquiring about her. The more I stared at her face in the picture, the more I just had to have her. It took over two months to get approved for the adoption. These people don’t mess around. They want to be 100% sure you are fit for one of their babies. They just do not adopt them out to any Joe Blow out there. My biggest fear about the adoption was my age. I was 62 at the time. Gracie has been the best thing that has come into my life. She is my world. She is there when I was having bouts of depression from the death of my daughter and the loneliness I was experiencing. She has become my unofficial service dog and well as my best friend. Plus let me add that once the dogs are adopted, these people don’t just forget you. Monica is always there to answer any questions you may have about owning a pitbull. If she doesn’t know the answer she will direct to some one the team who does.