3"x3" Acrylic on wooden plaque, painted 9/28/10
While Princess Buttercup may best be known as the character from the "Princess Bride" this lesser known "PB" is an emerging Bully Breed Ambassador. She may also not be as well known as Sarge, Carla Lou or even Stubby for that matter... But I hope her story touches your heart as much as it did mine. Here is Princess Buttercup's Story... Quoted from the .pdf file that Valerie emailed me:
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Princess Buttercup (aka PB) was originally from an animal shelter in New Jersey. When she arrived
she passed her temperament evaluation with flying colors--she just wasn't recommended to live
with other pets. A few weeks later, a note was posted on her cage for volunteers to not walk her. I
immediately took this dog out to get to know her and to figure out why volunteers weren't
allowed to walk her. When I brought her back into the shelter, I ran into one of the managers and
asked what the deal was with her... the manager couldn't give me an answer, so then eventually one of the staff members who put the sign up said, "She's just a little nippy." So, I was thinking to myself... "Whew... at least it's nothing serious... but still I
don't like that she has that sign on her cage... That's going to deter people from adopting her."
So, after walking PB all the time and getting to know her, I
learned that she was extremely affectionate, intelligent, willing
to please, and enjoyed learning. She loves treats and toys, too. I
even had several dog trainers evaluate her and help me out with
some of her basic obedience (all she knew was "sit").
After all that, is when I was getting desperate and really nervous about PB. She was at the shelter for a while and getting no action from adopters. At the time, a lot of changes were being made at the shelter; good and bad. I started getting worried about her and I just could NOT accept the fact of losing this dog. Luckily, the shelter started a Humane Education
Program. I elected PB to be the first Doggie Ambassador to go to a school with me and the rest of the team to
help teach the kids about animal kindness, dog safety,
and of course show the kids how great Pit Bulls can be. I was almost in TEARS with how totally
AMAZING PB was with the kids. She met over 100 kids in one day -- all of which were running up to
her petting her ALL over her body. She was LOVING it. She literally rolled on her back and had tons of kids petting her belly. When I returned to the shelter to bring her back from the school, nobody believed me when I told them how great she was! All they focused on was how "crazy" she was in her kennel. Thankfully, I had the pictures to prove it. But, when
the staff didn't really show any happiness or excitement, I knew I had to get her into a foster home... So, in the
meantime, I kept bringing her to schools, doing group presentations with PB and tours at the shelter. I had
teachers, friends, and family cross-post her everywhere to give her some more exposure. I posted
her on Craigslist and of course, Facebook.
So, about a month later I found a nice lady willing foster her. She had two young kids, but also 30
horses... When I learned she had all those horses, I immediately wanted to visit her home and see
her living situation. Everything seemed fine and I never thought she would give PB up. But, each
week she kept e-mailing me, texting me, even sometimes calling me telling me how she just can't do it anymore. PB
wasn't housebroken, yet -- so I gave her my own personal dog crate, which she tried once and stopped because PB was
crying her cage. I even made arrangements to meet her at her house with a professional dog trainer to help her out. But,
instead she was in Delaware when she was supposed to meet us... She honestly was a nice lady and was good with animals,
but she just had too much on her plate. So, I had two choices -- 1. bring her back to the shelter where she would be killed
because they were overcrowded and were not allowing dogs to be adopted who didn't do well with dogs and/or cats or
2. take on the responsibility of paying for her vet bills, boarding fees, travel fees, and spend countless hours trying to find her
a home and sit outside of stores with her... Of course, without question, I chose number 2. So, I have been boarding PB. Hopefully, I am moving into my new house in about a month, which then I can let her stay with me until she finds her forever home. I have been taking her to PetSmart to get her socialized with other dogs and of course to collect
some funds for her boarding fees.
Princess Buttercup is just a huge inspiration. She has just a loving personality and loves being
surrounded by people and kids. Once while I was doing a mini-event at PetSmart with her, a few
people were leery of her because of her breed. One person said that they are "really afraid of Pit
Bulls" and "don't trust them", but these people who were once afraid of Pit Bulls, said, "Wow, I
feel so comfortable around this dog" and "She is so loveable!" So, it's really great that many
people got to learn that not all Pit Bulls act the way the media portrays them.
It's been a very long rode for PB and I. I've had a handful of people interested in her, but for some
reason they all back out. I am still hopeful for PB. She does have a lot of supporters on her side. I
don't want PB's story to be about me... but I want to share our story to inspire people to just go
with their heart when it comes to an animal's life and that anyone can do anything they set their
mind, too. I am a 19 year old girl. I go to college full- time, I am employed at the animal shelter part-time
and volunteer there part-time. However, I recently was injured and broke my finger, so I am out of
work (which means... no money), so I had to spend all my money I had saved up for a car on PB's fees.
But, that's alright because she is 100% worth it. Thankfully, I have had 3 excellent supporters by my
side: my mother, my aunt, and most importantly my grandmother. Without them -- PB would not be here
today and our story could not have been shared today.
In honor of Princess Buttercup, I am starting a rescue and educational organization called The
Princess Buttercup Foundation. The goals of this organization are to educate children about
animal kindness and dog safety, as well as rescue, rehabilitate, and re-home dogs from kill-
shelters. Our website can be viewed at: www.princessbuttercupfoundation.weebly.com
Thank you!
Valerie & Princess Buttercup
valcarpas@yahoo.com
****End Quoted Email*******
I really don't think I can add anymore to this amazing story! It's refreshing to see someone so you be so selfless &hearts
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