Stories

American Pit Bull Foundation

"Operation Sidekick"

Promoting responsible dog ownership through education and outreach is what the American Pit Bull Foundation does here in Charlotte.  Branching off of that as one of their most popular program, supporting military veterans community-wide, is Operation Sidekick.  Training bully breed dogs to become service animals for veterans is life changing work.  Read more below for our #SpotlightOnCLT Military Appreciation: American Pit Bull Foundation

What would you like for the community to know about the challenges your organization is trying to solve?    

Pit bull type dogs are overrepresented in shelters and this is a result of breed specific legislation and the stigma they face. Our work is meant to combat that while also addressing the support that veterans so desperately lack through our Operation Sidekick program. Through it, we are addressing two populations that need help.      

What is your organization’s role in the community?    

Our organization is focused on advocating for the care and responsible ownership of pit bull type dogs. Most people hear about us due to our Shelter to Service program, Operation Sidekick, where we pull pit bulls from our local shelters and train them to become service dogs to veterans with PTSD.     

We love impact stories, could you share one?

The testimonial I remember most is a little girl who was in one of the presentations we did for Freedom School Partners. An off leash dog approached her and her sister and thanks to what she learned about how to handle situations like that, she was able to keep herself and her sister calm and safe.         

A little more about the photo pictured above: This photo is from when we were promoting RescueMe 5k, our charity race that's designed to raise awareness for veterans and Operation Sidekick, at NoDa Brewing.                             

Contact: Alexis Williams

Email: alexis@apbf.org