Pit of Our Souls Rescue was started by two friends, Voula and Melissa, who got their start volunteering for another rescue. They loved the work and they loved the dogs, and before long they knew they had to start our own.

​

Their first rescue came from a phone call during the holidays. A friend at a Christmas party in Hempstead had spotted a dog eating out of garbage cans, so thin he was barely standing. They dropped everything, found him, loaded him into Melissa's car and drove straight to a vet in Westbury. They named him Phoenix.

​

While they waited, a couple walked out of an exam room. They had just said goodbye to their own dog. Phoenix went right up to the woman, who was crying, and started licking her face. A few days later they came by to donate their dog's things to him, and a few days after that they decided it was meant to be. Phoenix went home with them as Onyx, and the family stayed in touch for the rest of his life.

​

Back then, pit bulls had almost no one in their corner. People looked away out of fear, or because the bad stories were all they'd ever heard, and Vee and Melissa saw more abuse, neglect and overbreeding than they even knew was possible. It's better today because more voices have stepped up for these dogs. POSR is proud to be one of them, and there's still a lot of work to do.

​

Today every dog POSR takes in lives with a foster family, not in a kennel. That's where they decompress, learn house manners and show us who they really are, so we can match them with the right forever home.