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MAS Bully Rescue Staff

Save a Life. Change Yours.

MASBR Leadership Team

Here at Make A Stand Bully Rescue (MASBR), we are working towards a society where bully breeds are accepted and responsible dog ownership is the expectation. Through our foster and adoption programming, we provide safe havens and second chances to the country’s most misrepresented, underserved, and euthanized breed of dog.

Stephanie Mendiola, MS, MPA

Executive Director

stephanie@masbullyrescue.org

Stephanie Mendiola serves as Make A Stand Bully Rescue’s Executive Director. She is an experienced nonprofit development professional, holding an MPA from Texas A&M University and proudly employed as the Director of Grants and Philanthropy for the SAMMinistries in San Antonio. Stephanie oversees our agency’s IRS compliance, manages all fundraising efforts and ensures fiscal responsibility, and assists in the successful coordination of our core programs. Stephanie and her husband Travis are mom and dad to late MASBR Alums, Gandhi (rescue class of 2011) and Maple (rescue class of 2016)!

Amanda Dowell

Director of Operations

amanda@masbullyrescue.org

Amanda Dowell serves as Make A Stand Bully Rescue’s Director of Operations. She is a seasoned and organized people-manager, currently employed as the Client Services Manager for Tabor Road Veterinary Hospital. For MASBR, Amanda oversees the daily operations and ensures successful implementation of our agency’s core programs. She maintains the responsibility of growing and developing a sustainable foster program, including the training and certifying of volunteer K9 Foster Custodians. Amanda is the proud mama to MASBR Alums, Bronx (rescue class of 2014), Brooklyn (rescue class of 2017), Shylah (rescue class of 2022), Tito (rescue class of 2022), and Shortstack (rescue class of 2025), and late MASBR Alums, Casanova (rescue class of 2011) and Kingston (rescue class of 2019)!

Ember Rios

Bully Boutique Manager

store@masbullyrescue.org

Ember Rios serves as the Manager for Make A Stand Bully Rescue’s Bully Boutique – an online store with MASBR branded merchandise and your favorite pet products! Ember is a seasoned public sector team member, presently serving as the Senior Volunteer Programs Coordinator for Alamo Area Council of Governments! In her capacity for the rescue, Ember organizes and coordinates the selling of all custom company merchandise and wholesale pet products, and routinely seeks out opportunities for merchandise partnerships and vendor markets. Ember and her husband Andres are the proud mom and dad to MASBR Alum, Stitch (rescue class of 2022)!

MASBR Board of Directors

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Maddie Murphy

Board President

boardpresident@masbullyrescue.org

Special Education Educator, Klein ISD

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Baylee Bess

Board Secretary & Treasurer

TO BE ENTERED

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Laura Pederson

Board Treasurer

TO BE ENTERED

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Laura Pederson

Voting Member

TO BE ENTERED

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Laura Pederson

Voting Member

TO BE ENTERED

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Laura Pederson

Voting Member

TO BE ENTERED

photo-coming-soon

Laura Pederson

Voting Member

TO BE ENTERED

photo-coming-soon

Laura Pederson

Voting Member

TO BE ENTERED

photo-coming-soon

Laura Pederson

Voting Member

TO BE ENTERED

Let us know how we can help!

We are a foster-based rescue which means we do not have a physical location to browse or meet multiple dogs at once. Our process begins with applying to adopt. Once approved to adopt, we can schedule a meeting with the dog(s) you’re interested in adopting.

After your apply, you will receive an email response from a caseworker within 72 hours. If you do not hear from us and cannot find an email in your junk box, please email info@masbullyrescue.org.

Not at all. We understand and empathize! Our team members work full time jobs, manage families, are enrolled in higher education and run the rescue in spare time. So long as your schedule or environment does not negatively impact our rescue dog(s), then please apply to adopt.

Make A Stand Bully Rescue is an LGBTQ+ friendly organization that proudly works with all individuals and families. We do not discriminate against any applicant on the basis of race or ethnicity, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, medical or mental health condition, or disability. We strive to accommodate applicants living within extenuating circumstances or situations that might seem difficult. MASBR has and will continue to work with all families who are passionate and willing to open their hearts and homes to pit bulls and bully breed dogs in need.

Yes, specific on the dog and/or the age group. That said, please speak with your apartment complex or leasing agent to determine if any breed bans are in place. Oftentimes, you have to ask. If you have a medical exemption (i.e., Emotional Support Animal, Licensed Therapy Dog, Service Animal, etc.) that allows you to keep an animal in your home regardless of community rules, please let us know. We do not need to know specifics, but may ask questions to ensure the dog you’re interested in will meet your needs or requirements.

Yes, dependent on your plans to safely exercise and potty your dog(s) and/or the age group or personality of the dog.

Yes, absolutely. All of our dogs are in foster homes prior to adoption, where we get to know the dog and his/her specific personality, interest, and likes/dislikes. We may require a meet and greet ahead of time and/or an adoption trial period to ensure the fit before finalizing the adoption.

Absolutely. You will be required to arrange transport and/or fund the expense of transport if we arrange. We work with a variety of ground and air transit partners and have adopted all over the country and even into Canada. The costs typically begin at $300 and increase from there.

Our adoption fees range from $300-$500. This fee ensures that the dog you have applied to adopt has its medical, training, social, and emotional-mental needs met during its stay in our rescue program. The cost to care for one rescue animal in our program far exceeds the adoption fee, but we strive to keep adoptions affordable, as our goal is to place social, dogs in screened, loving homes.

No. Texas (and the Southern United States) has a major pet overpopulation problem, especially with bully breeds. All animals adopted from our program are currently or will be altered at the appropriate age.

No. We do not permit our dogs to be used for hunting, racing, fighting, guarding, attacking, or other adverse purposes.

Pit Bulls and/or Bully Breed type dogs are not all-weather-tolerant. Their coats, breathing capacity, and overall body structure are not conducive for extreme heat (experienced in Southern States) or extreme cold (experienced in most of the Country and Canada). Therefore, we will not consider applications where dogs are strictly outdoors.

No. We do not permit any of our rescue dogs to undergo ear cropping, tail docking, tattooing, piercing, or other appearance-alterations for cosmetic reasons.

We do! We believe in ensuring the right fit is made between our adopted dogs and their new families. Sometimes that means a trial run before finalizing the adoption. Please speak with your individual caseworker about this process.

In most situations, yes, we will take our dog back. In the event that we cannot accept your dog back (as a result of extreme medical or behavioral concerns), we will discuss and/or work with you on finding an alternative solution that is best for your family and our dog.

A Volunteer K9 Foster Custodian – “Foster” – is the first line of defense in our rescue. These are volunteers (individuals, families, roommates, etc.) who agree to open their homes, hearts, and lives to a rescue pit bull or its mix for Make A Stand Bully Rescue. Whether for a weekend at a time, weeks or months, or even long-term hospice care, our foster families allow us to save hundreds of lives annually. We strive to make fostering easy and affordable (i.e., free!), and are always looking to expand our foster roster.
After your apply, you will receive an email response from our Director of Operations, Amanda Dowell, within 72 hours. If you do not hear from her and cannot find an email in your junk box, please email info@masbullyrescue.org. Amanda may require additional documentation from you and will schedule a phone conversation to discuss your application and next steps moving forward.
Not at all. We understand and empathize! Our team members work full time jobs, manage families, are enrolled in higher education and run the rescue in spare time. So long as your schedule or environment does not negatively impact our rescue dog(s), then please, come on board! We are a friendly, open, and supportive group who firmly believe where there’s love and patience, there’s a way to save lives.

Make A Stand Bully Rescue is an LGBTQ+ friendly organization that proudly works with all individuals and families. We do not discriminate against any applicant on the basis of race or ethnicity, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, medical or mental health condition, or disability. We strive to accommodate applicants living within extenuating circumstances or situations that might seem difficult. MASBR has and will continue to work with all families who are passionate and willing to open their hearts and homes to pit bulls and bully breed dogs in need.

When you foster for Make A Stand Bully Rescue, we provide the kennel, high quality food and treats, toys, training materials (as needed), cleaning supplies, and cover all costs associated with veterinary care, training, and boarding, as need, approved, and applicable. In return, our foster families provide a stable home environment, care, training and effort, and love to our rescue dogs. We work hard for you to succeed as a foster family, and will do what we can to accommodate your home and environment.
Yes, specific on the dog and/or the age group. Please note: MAS Bully Rescue will not pay pet deposit fees. If your apartment complex will not allow you to foster or will not allow bully breeds, we are happy to speak with them to see if we can make something work, but we will not break rules.
Yes, dependent on your plans to safely exercise and potty your dog(s) and/or the age group or personality of the dog.
Yes, dependent on the specific dog and/or temperament of the dog and/or your willingness to crate and rotate or separate if a problem arises.
Not at all! We work with YOU and your family on the best foster fit. If that means you have specific age group, sex, energy level, behavioral, or other preferences or requirements, that’s ok! We want this to be an enjoyable experience for you, us, and our dog(s).
Yes! We have “foster hubs” all around our state, currently including: DFW, Bryan/College Station, Houston, San Antonio, Austin, and Abilene. This means we have a designated volunteer who has bulk supplies and an established veterinary partnership in these areas. If you are not in one of these areas, please still apply. We are always open to expanding our reach.

Unfortunately, no. We are not currently in a position to expand beyond our state. That said, you can always send an email to info@masbullyrescue.org and we can recommend rescues or shelters in your state seeking fosters.

That’s ok, it happens. We may not be able to shuffle in the immediate moment, so we do ask for patience and understanding; but we will always shuffle and/or re/move a dog from your home within reasonable time allotment. We want this to be an enjoyable and successful experience for all involved.
Please understand that we receive this request regularly and oftentimes have to say “no.” This said, we occasionally accept a dog in this situation but ask fosters to understand and agree that they will foster said dog, regardless of behavioral or medical circumstance, until the dog is adopted or until another foster is open (in the event the dog is not a good fit). This can be a quick process or it can take months, so we do ask finders-willing-to-foster to consider the time commitment long-term fostering might be prior to approaching our rescue with a stray or owner surrendered dog.