Merit Pit Bull Foundation

ABOUT US: WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE DO

OUR TEAM
Our team is made up solely of volunteers - caring people who have jobs, families, and dogs of their own. They give their time so that together we can be a force for positive change, even when (at times) it seems it’s just a drop in a very large bucket. While the majority of our volunteers are in the Piedmont Triad, we also have volunteers in the
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ngle and Wilmington areas. As such, we are extremely limited in the number of dogs we are able to bring into the program. In spite of these limitations, we are able to help a considerable number of dogs. Every time someone adopts a
dog, we are able to save another! This is all due to the generosity of our donors and volunteers. It truly takes a village. SELECTING DOGS FOR OUR PROGRAM
When selecting dogs for our program, dogs in North Carolina shelters get priority. Occasionally, we take in owner surrenders. For owner surrenders, we require signed papers that relinquish the dog to our rescue. We cannot take in dogs with known bite histories. We also reserve the right to deny any dog for any reason including space, temperament, resources, etc. We CANNOT seize dogs, pick up strays (more information below), or go onto private property to take possession of a dog without the owner’s permission. Those are functions of your local
animal control – if you see cruelty or neglect, please call them immediately! We work with area shelters including, but not limited to: Guilford County, Wake County, Lee
County, Chatham County, Gaston County, Orange County and Nash County. It is important to remember dogs are made available for adoption or rescue at the shelter’s discretion. Just because an animal is in a shelter does not mean the dog is adoptable or suitable for rescue (shelter discretion) or that the dog is a fit for our group (our discretion). When pulling a dog from a shelter, our team visits the dog or works with a partner to assess the dog for our program. THE INTAKE PROCESS/TIMELINE
Because of our process, we are not an organization that can move quickly to intake a dog. We are rarely in a position to help in last minute or “urgent” situations. Our foster homes are continually at capacity and we have a waiting list. We do not have funds to board dogs while we wait for a foster space to open up. In order for a dog to be accepted into our program, it must be SAFER tested
(www.aspcapro.org/safer) by a member of our team or an approved volunteer and have a
favorable score. Because we have a limited number of SAFER certified volunteers, it could take days before we are able to evaluate a dog. Again, we cannot take in dogs that have bitten someone. Once a dog is approved, they may have to wait until we have available foster space. To request an intake, please e-mail [email protected] with relevant information about the dog.