CHARLENE

I was born and semi-raised in the San Fernando Valley before moving to Oregon and then moved back to CA and  spent part of my life living in Santa Cruz — a place that completely stole my heart and will always feel like home to me. Eventually, life brought me back to La Grande, where my I raised my daughter and where the deepest parts of this mission began. 

Fast forward to 2019, I lost my daughter at just 18 years old. Before she passed, she had one dream bigger than anything else: to save all the pitbulls in the world. She loved them fiercely, the same way I always have. Starting BelLA’s House Of Blues became my way of carrying her heart forward and turning that love into something that could keep saving lives long after she was gone.

The rescue itself is named after two dogs who changed my life forever — our Pack Leader, BelLA, and my soul dog, Blue, a pitbull with a heart as big as the world. He kept me alive during that tragic time. Together, they became the inspiration behind BelLA’s House Of Blues, a rescue built for the misunderstood, discarded, and overlooked pitbull type and bully breeds who deserve so much more than what the world often gives them.

I’ve worked in property management for over 10 years, a career that taught me how to be tough, direct, resilient, and compassionate all at the same time. I’m the kind of person who says exactly what I mean, stands up fiercely for what I believe in, and protects the people and animals I love with everything I have.

Outside of rescue, I am a complete homebody. I prefer a small circle over a crowded room and would rather spend my time at home with my dogs than almost anywhere else. I’m obsessed with tattoos, plants, pitbulls, the color black, the ocean, and driving way too fast with the music turned up. Give me a house full of pitbulls and bullies, waves crashing nearby, plants taking over every corner, and a peaceful life away from unnecessary noise, and I’m happy.

This year, I turn 45, and if there’s one thing life has taught me, it’s that purpose matters more than comfort. Pain can either break you or build something meaningful through you. I chose to build something meaningful.

But this mission was never meant to stay small.

My dream is to make an impact far beyond just one rescue or one state. California is in crisis, but so are places like Texas, Florida, Georgia, and New York — where pitbulls and bully breeds are being abandoned, failed, and euthanized every single day. BelLA’s House Of Blues exists to fight for them, to advocate for change, and to prove that these dogs were never the problem. We were.