As the Director of Northern California Bulldog Rescue (NCBR), Mary Aiken loves her work but dreams of a day when her services will no longer be needed. “Until that happens,” she says, “we need assistance with foster homes, transport and of course funding for basic care and veterinary care.” In September 2007, the organization was granted non-profit status, although it operated as a subcommittee of both The Bulldog Club of Northern California and The Mother Lode Bulldog Club for many years prior. Its mission is to rescue, rehabilitate and rehome English bulldogs, while educating potential owners about the breed’s unique characteristics and responsible pet ownership. (Its sister organization, Nor Cal French Bulldog Rescue, operates in much the same way.) By working closely with local shelters, volunteers are able to remove bulldogs from their care, thereby creating much-needed space for other homeless and abandoned breeds, while also reducing bulldog euthanasia. “Many of our dogs,” Aiken explains, “are in need of medical care and extensive rehabilitation from medical issues, which shelters do not have the resources or space to provide.” She credits Dr. Jennifer Sweet, Patti Rungo, Michelle Ippoliti, and the rest of the staff at Folsom’s Blue Ravine Animal Hospital with providing life-saving services for the dogs she and her team rescue. “Their help,” she says, “continues to be the backbone of our efforts to provide this service.” Because it is an all-volunteer organization, the funds raised by NCBR go directly to caring for the dogs, but compensation seems to be the furthest thing from Aiken’s mind. “We are all longtime bulldog owners,” she shares, “and feel that giving something back to this wonderful breed is not only our responsibility but our duty for all the joy they have brought us. Helping these dogs is simply the best thing I do with my time.”

norcalbulldogrescue.org

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