Pinuping

This past Sunday was a great Chicago fundraiser for Pinups for Pitbulls, a Holiday Market that I organized. I was really proud of the event, despite the fact that nature did NOT cooperate and it was blizzarding! The event was featured, along with my photo, in Time Out Chicago and we had a whole lot of really great vendors and rescues join us at Anything is Pawsible, the training facility where both Addy and Probert have been trained!

Overall, despite the weather, the event was a success and we raised around $2500 for the pups!

And I got to wear a Santa dress...

And our fellow brown dog, Fifty the two-legged pittie was there!

The event went so well that I'm already thinking we might do it again next year!!!

This Sunday Sunday Sunday!

On Facebook.

Doga for Life

Just a note since I think someone requested advance warning, but if you are in the Chicagoland area, Maizy and I will be teaching Doga for free THIS Sunday, October 3rd at the Bark for Life North Shore walk and fundraiser event! We are teaching from 12:30-1:00, so catch us while you can!

If you are interested in knowing about upcoming Doga events, you can sign up for my email updates at www.nicolesopko.com (you will also get information about yoga events, but I send out updates once a month only unless something special comes up so it will not overwhelm your inbox).

Bonus: Picture of Maizy driving home from our big day on Sunday which involved participating in the Chicago PAWS walk and then going to clean out the boyfriend's garage! I thought she looked very cute the way she was sleeping and you can see that we were transporting home her new crate floor!

Funds Raised!

Thanks everyone for your support with all of the work I've been doing with Pinups for Pitbulls. Well, the event on Friday went off without a hitch! Here are a few pictures (no pups, sorry!). At the end of the evening (or really, the next morning, since I got home at about 4:30am), we had raised over $2000 for the bullies! Thanks to anyone who helped promote or came out! It is much appreciated. Look for our family-friendly fundraiser coming up in December in Wheaton.

Me and Tracy, my partner in pit bull fundraising (with the Brown Dog Dad in the back).

All set up for the midnight raffle (there was a second at 3am).

A packed bar and smiling faces. Good signs.

One of my favorite merch items that we have... the Pinup for Pitbulls tote bag.

Gutted

So, in working on planning tonight's (!!!) Pinups for Pitbulls fundraiser here in Chicago, I have been in touch with a few GREAT bully-friendly local rescues. I am so inspired by all of the hard work that they are doing, and at the same time, I am being heartbroken constantly thinking about the hard lives that so many animals have. There is no way to not wish I could do more.

At the event, there will be photos and descriptions to promote dogs from both One Tail At A Time and Making A Difference Rescue who are in need of sponsorship or foster/forever homes. One of the dogs that really touched me from Making a Difference is Hero. He was found by a woman in her yard, collapsed. She thought he was dead. Once he was picked up, an email was sent out from Animal Control to the director of Making a Difference with only two words, "Help me." And so, we are all trying to find Hero the home that he deserves.

Yesterday, I also received an unexpected email from a caregiver at PAWS Chicago asking if we could promote another dog at our event. Red is already famous in Chicago for attempting to protect his elderly owner during a home invasion. During the course of the attack, Red was shot and paralyzed. His owner sadly could not physically give Red the care that he now needs and Red is in search of a home to live out the rest of his days. I really hope we can help him.

Please think of these dogs... send them your good thoughts. We are hoping to help some of them out tonight, even if it's just by reminding people that there are so many dogs out there that need our compassion and love.

We Made It!

The Pinups for Pitbulls Team: Michele with Frankie, Jesse, Nicole with Addy and Maizy, Trish, and Gina.

The Chicago PAWS Walk For Their Lives yesterday was a great time! Everyone returned from last year, plus a few new additions, so we had a great group (all ladies, by the way)! This year I had started a "team" for Pinups for Pitbulls and we raised over $1000 between us, beating our goal.

The weather was beautiful for the end of September in Chicago, so no complaints there. The walk was long and we took many breaks because of our little fwee wegged friend, Addy, who was worn out by all the walking. She refused to be carried very far or to ride in a stroller (we tried!), so we walked at her pace. Jesse quite nimbly handed out Pinups for Pitbulls fliers to people walking with pit bulls (we had a fun time trying to spot the pitties). By the time we got back the the finish line, they had disassembled it and there was no one there to cheer for our accomplishment. Boo.

The walk had about 4,000 participants this year and I think the money raised was in the neighborhood of $250,000! Great news!

We didn't hang around too long, but we did have to go to the doggie massage tent so that Maizy, Addy, and Frankie could get a well-deserved massage. Also, Maizy spent some time playing in the water (which was meant for drinking). This video I took cracks me up. Look at how wet Addy is from her unexpected splashing.

On the way home, we made a well-deserved stop at Fritz Pastry which I cannot recommend enough if you are in Chicago. The food they make is delicious and some of their items are even vegan (ask for which items are vegan, but I recommend the coffee cake or the blueberry muffin). They also have a great little outdoor deck that is perfect for tired doggies.

Not Dead Yet

Hello! Just a quick update to say hello and that we're still around and doing fine. Lots has been going on, all of which has kept me from updating the blog. I have mostly spent my time working hard on getting things organized for the Pinups for Pitbulls Calendar Release Party in November. This week Addison graduated Advanced Obedience at Anything is Pawsible, which was great. She finally learned to "stay" in a stand position and I was so proud of her. We have some work to do, definitely, but I think she has a chance of passing the CGC test in a few months maybe.

Anyway, I don't want to post a huge wall of text, so I will post again soon with pictures! Of pups!

An Event!

I've posted before about Pinups for Pitbulls and I think even shared the picture of Maizy, Probert, and me from the 2008 Pinups for Pitbulls calendar as well as the picture of Probert and another human model in the (first ever) 2007 calendar. Well, this year we've stepped it up a notch and not only did we submit a photo for the 2010 calendar (just wait and see which dogs made it!), but I am also organizing a fundraiser for Pinups for Pitbulls right here in Chicago!

Please pass the word on about the event and if you are in the area, it would be awesome to see you there! Also, if you have a business or know someone who does, we are currently in need of items for the raffle!

Join us!

We had so much fun at last year's PAWS Chicago Run/Walk for Their Lives that we are doing it again! This year, I decided to sign up early and create our own fundraising team for Pinups for Pitbulls. So, we'll be out there representing the bullies and raising money for a great cause! If you are in the area and plan on doing the walk this year, we would LOVE it if you joined our team. You do not need to own a pit bull or anything, just be a friend, supporter, or fan! We are open to any and all members. When you go to sign up, there is an option to join an already existing team and it is easy.

If you are not in the area and would like to make a donation to help benefit Chicago's largest no-kill shelter, that would be awesome, too!

Dog Days

On Sunday, Addy and I attended the Dog Day on the Green event on the lawn of Soldier Field hosted by the Chicago City Clerk's office. The event seemed to be a way to promote spay/neuter, rabies vaccinations, and overall responsible pet ownership. I was excited to see the list of rules on the event's website, as they required that dogs ben friendly, on-leash (no retractables), old enough to have all of their shots, altered, etc. Unfortunately, the rules were NOT enforced at all and there were many dogs too young to have been vaccinated, dogs off-leash (harassing other dogs, trying to steal people's food as they ate on the grass), dogs on retractable leashes (these are the worst ever unless you are walking in a field or something), unaltered dogs, obviously aggressive dogs... You name it. Overall, I'd say the experience was a fun and positive one, but I was disappointed with some of my fellow attendees.

At any rate, Addy and I had a great time. There were a lot of booths set up for local organizations as well as local pet businesses. There was an agility course that Addy tried out (and did GREAT at once she realized that CHEESE was at the end of each obsticle). We met up with one of Addy's friends, Michele, who drove Addy on her road to rescue from Iowa to Illinois. There were so many free giveaways at the event that I was glad I'd brought a backpack and when I went home, I put all of the free treats into a giant mixing bowl!


After a few hours, Addy was tired. Her one widdle front leg has to do double duty, so it gets tired easily. I carried her for a little bit and eventually she started climbing under the vendors' tablecloths to try to take a nap out of view. :) So,we said goodbye to Michele and her family and headed home. Overall, a great day!

On Monday, Addy started advanced obedience back with Rendy at Anything is Pawsible. There is only one other dog in class this round, so we get to work a little more quickly through some of the things that both dogs already know. Addy was acting up and biting at her leash and me and generally not wanting to work until Rendy got out the bitter apple spray. The look on Addy's face was priceless the first time she smelled it and the first time she forgot herself and bit the leash she couldn't spit it out fast enough. Hahahaha. Sorry, lady. No messing around allowed!