A CLOSER LOOK AT THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE IT HAPPEN

Julia — The Smart Emotional One Behind the Mission

Born and raised in the Syracuse, NY area, I grew up in a home filled with kindness, compassion, and a deep love for animals. We always had pets—usually cats—but I did have a childhood dog named Katie, a schnoodle before they were even a “thing.” She came from a babysitter’s accidental litter and was truly one of a kind.

My mom played a huge role in shaping my love for animals, especially pit bulls. Her best friend had them my entire life, and they were some of the sweetest, most loving dogs I had ever met—despite the stigma surrounding them. We loved watching Pit Bulls & Parolees together and admired the incredible work of Villalobos Rescue. Those early experiences really stayed with me.

While I’ve always loved all animals, I considered myself more of a “cat person”…until my husband and I adopted our dog, Finn. Finn is a rescue from Georgia who was found in a ditch as a tiny, malnourished, and very sick puppy. But he was a fighter. After getting healthy, he made his way to Maine, where I now live. A friend of mine fostered him, my husband saw his photo on Facebook, and the rest is history. And in a full-circle moment—thanks to an Embark DNA test—Finn turned out to be 100% American Pit Bull Terrier!

I look forward to the day we can continue to grow our little fur family.

Outside of the rescue, I love makeup, tattoos, traveling, comedy, and attending concerts. I also work in the corporate world, which may not be the most exciting—but it has taught me so much. Working with a wide range of personalities has helped me learn how to effectively communicate with all kinds of people, which is incredibly important in the animal welfare space. Because while we’re here for the dogs, connecting with people through education, compassion, and guidance is just as critical.

Bully breeds, in particular, are so often misunderstood and misrepresented. I am passionate about helping change that narrative and showing the world who they truly are—loyal, loving, and inherently good.

I’ve always felt a deeper connection to animals, and I’ve always known I wanted to do something meaningful with my life.

So…let’s save some dogs’ lives.

Maureen — The Sharp Mind Behind the Mission

Spending summers and holidays on her Aunt Martha’s farm in Central Minnesota, Maureen developed a love for animals at a young age. Her rescue work started as a freshman in college, when she found an abandoned orange kitten she named Brandy. There was no logical rescue plan, other than to sneak Brandy into her dorm room to live with her and her two roommates. Two fun weeks of shenanigans went by before kitty gate coverup was uncovered, and Brandy was rehomed to Aunt Martha’s farm.  

But she did not stay pet-free for long! As soon as Maureen got her first apartment, she also got her very first dog, a Dalmatian named 102 (as in The 102nd Dalmatian!). Then, her first pit bull came into her life - Annabelle, a Hurricane Katrina survivor. Annabelle was so untrained, unsocialized and dog-aggressive that she could only be described as “The Hurricane.” Three years later, shortly before her death from an inoperable brain tumor, Annabelle was used as a demo dog in a Canine Good Citizen prep class. Throughout Annabelle’s rehabilitation from an unadoptable menace to society to a CGC superstar, Maureen saw first hand how misunderstood the breed really is and how applicable BelLA’s House of Blue’s slogan - “They were never the problem, we were.” really is. 

Because of an unwanted pit bull, the trajectory of Maureen’s life completely shifted. Since then, she has been on the forefront of advocating for pit bull type dogs, by training pit bulls & volunteering with various Bay Area rescues. She went on to open a beach-side pet boutique, indoor pet cafe and doggie daycare, hotel & spa in Northern California, named in Annabelle’s honor. There, she brought awareness to goofy playful nature of pit bulls in doggie daycare and held community events, such as a Meet-n-Greet with the Michael Vick Pit Bulls rescued by BAD RAP. 

Now, six pit bull type dogs (and one cat & spotted dog) later, life has come full circle. Maureen moved from Northern California back to Minnesota to live on her Aunt Martha’s farm, who has since passed away. She shares her life with three pets adopted from Minneapolis Animal Care & Control: Diamond the Therapy Dog, a 10-year old Staffordshire Bull terrier; Dexter, an 8-year old tabby cat (the real menace to society) and Benny, a 3-year old American Staffordshire terrier mix. She transformed the farm into an 80-acre wildlife preserve, which also serves as the BHOB-Minneapolis’ Rescue Ranch for dogs leaving the city shelter. Before moving into their foster homes, they arrive to the BHOB’s Rescue Ranch to decompress on their own terms in the country, surrounded by nature.

Maureen’s dogs are the biggest blessing in her life and are what fuels her rescue work. The only way she knows how to adequately repay the gratitude forward to those that saved her beloved dogs from euthanasia - the California pit crew especially: Annabelle, Pony, Trip & Dan the Man - is to now be the person that saves shelter dogs from euthanasia. And there’s no other place she wants to do it than with BelLA’s House of Blues. BHOB was founded to keep the memory of loved ones past alive - and we are so lucky to have their spirits’ guide our love, compassion and care for our rescue dogs to no limits.

BHOB-Minneapolis is proud to be a rescue partner with Minneapolis Animal Care & Control, where they pour their heart & soul into giving shelter animals a deserving second chance at becoming someone's entire world.