He was once abandoned at a shelter, but now he’s educating the community about positive pit bull ownership

We met Hercules at our Pet Photo Shoot Fundraiser for San Diego Humane Society. He’s a goofy guy who volunteers his time to educate the community about positive aspects of the breed that often get lost through the negative, mean, and ugly perceptions brought about by the media. Also, he serves to  help educate about pet adoption as well as the available programs offered from our local shelters.

Hercules is about 5 years old and is a sucker for head and butt scratches. He enjoys being outdoors and thrives in large crowds too.

Surprisingly, many people gravitate towards Hercules and want to meet him. He does get some that view him as very intimidating because of his looks, but they also see what a total goofball he actually is. Sometimes, Hercules gets dressed up and people go crazy wanting to take selfies with him. He handles crowds really well and loves to be the center of attention.

He is so patient and loving and he wins hearts over everywhere he goes while bringing so much love, happiness and laughter to everyone he meets. He is currently doing some therapy dog work with certain programs in the community, and eventually we will begin training to get him certified as a therapy dog.

You can follow Herculues on Facebook and Instagram.

SD Pittie Parents

Jolene, Hercules’ human Mom also co-founded San Diego Pittie Parents (SDPP).

SDPP is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization based in San Diego, CA and was founded in 2015 by Jolene Figueroa and Kristin Porter.

SDPP is focused on community outreach, education, and socialization of local pit bulls, bully mixes, and their owners/caretakers and foster parents.

Their mission is to end the negative stigma of pit bulls and bully breeds by promoting the positive side of this very misunderstood breed. They focus on strengthening the bond between owners and their dog’s to help create a path toward successful and responsible pit bull ownership.

They are a community-driven educational outreach program made up of  like-minded, responsible pet parents and citizens of the community. They are dedicated to creating a united front of Pit Bull Ambassadors regardless of background, breed, or rescue affiliation.

They organize outings such as summer surf dog clinics, SUP lessons, beach bonfires, pittie potlucks, community events and fundraisers we support and participate in for members on a regular basis (2-3 events per month, including a monthly pack walk) which help create a pit bull-friendly and safe environment for socialization, training, and networking with other Pittie Parents while spreading positive breed awareness everywhere we go.

To honor National Pit Bull Awareness day, every October we host our annual “Pitties in the Park” event in San Diego, which is the largest pit bull event in Southern California.

You can learn more about SDPP here.

Get Photos of Your Pitties

AGoldPhoto will be in San Diego the first week of May to host more Pet Photo Shoot Fundraiser. You can use promo code SDPITTIE to save $10 on the sitting fee.