California PawsRescue
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The largest bull terrier rescue facility in the U.S. Palm Desert, CA · Since 2011

Built tough. Left behind. Brought home.

We pull bull terriers out of kill shelters, off the streets and out of the desert. We heal them, train them, and find them homes that last.

Meet the dogs Donate

More bull terriers under one roof than anywhere in America.

2011
Rescuing bull terriers since
1,000+
Adoptions and counting
No.1
Largest bull terrier facility in the U.S.
38
Dogs ready for homes today

Our mission

Since 2011 we’ve gone where bull terriers are hardest to find. Kill shelters. Skid Row. The open desert. Many arrive injured. Some are blind or missing a leg. Every one of them gets medical care, time and training to start over, and a home that fits.

Ivory, a white bull terrier in a teal collar, sitting on the grass at the rescue Long-term
resident

Resident spotlight

Meet Ivory

Female · 5 yrs · 30 lbs

Ivory is a compact, confident girl who holds her own with dogs her size and carries herself with the quiet self-assurance of a dog who knows her own worth. At around 30lbs she is one of the more portable bull terriers you will meet, with no reduction in personality. If you want a self-assured, appropriately sized companion with real character, Ivory is your girl.

Ideal home
An adopter with experience in slow introductions into a home with other dogs, or a single dog home.
With dogs
Selective
With cats
Not tested yet
With kids
Not tested yet
Health
Spayed, vaccinated, microchipped, wellness exam with bloodwork.
Adopt Ivory Her full profile

Meet the dogs

Every dog is spayed or neutered, vaccinated, microchipped, and vet-checked with bloodwork before you meet them.

All 38 dogs
38 See every dog waiting today

How to adopt

  1. 01

    Apply

    Tell us about your home, your schedule, and your experience with bull terriers. Name the dog that caught your eye.

  2. 02

    Interview & home check

    A phone interview, then a virtual tour of your home over FaceTime, Zoom or Google Meet.

  3. 03

    Meet in person

    Once you’re approved, visit the facility in Palm Desert and meet your match. Visits are by appointment, seven days a week.

  4. 04

    Bring them home

    Out of state or in Canada? We work with trusted transport companies to get your dog to your door.

Adoption donation

$600

Tax-deductible. Every dog comes spayed or neutered, vaccinated, microchipped and vet-checked.

The 3 · 3 · 3 rule

  • 3 daysto decompress
  • 3 weeksto learn your routine
  • 3 monthsto feel at home

Rescue dogs need time. Every adopter agrees to give it.

Ready?

Start your application

Foster a bull terrier

A bull terrier looking up at the sky, palm trees behind

You open your door. We cover the vet bills. Every foster frees a spot for the next dog in need.

  • Save a lifeEach dog you take in makes room for another one at the rescue.
  • Try the breedLive with a bull terrier before you commit to forever.
  • Shape a futureYour patience turns a rescue into a dog someone can’t wait to adopt.
  • Join the communityReal support from people who know this breed inside out.

Needs a foster now

Ringo, a bull terrier at California Paws RescueRingo, 9
Apply to foster

On the application, choose “Foster Care.” We’ll set up a call and home check, then you sign the foster agreement and pick up your dog.

Where they are now

Thousands of adoptions since 2011. A few of the roads home.

  1. Indy Skid Row → Huntington Beach Rescued off Skid Row with many wounds. Now living the beach life.
  2. Lyle L.A. shelter → Hawaii Six months with us, then surfboards and beaches.
  3. Fester County shelter → Toronto Traded his shorts for a parka.
  4. Harley 18 months waiting → La Paz, Mexico Now with her family and a four-legged brother.
  5. Walnut & Athena Palm Desert → Colorado Their family came back for a second bull terrier.
  6. Moxie Foster home → Northern California Beach runs and all the love she can handle.

“They rescue only the worst-case-scenario dogs by pulling them from kill shelters. Some of them are severely injured, and this rescue does whatever they can to get them back to good health and eventually out for adoption.”

Bob Masaitis, supporter

Come meet us

New events are on the way. Follow @calpawsrescue to hear first.

All events

The app · Bull Terrier Rescue Network

Take the community with you.

Ask the questions, get real answers, and stay in the conversation with people who actually know the breed.

  • Join the community forum

    Settling in, health, behavior and training. Get notified the second someone replies.

  • Browse adoptable dogs

    Every adoptable bull terrier from verified rescues across North America, in one feed.

Get the app

Available on iOS Coming to Android

The Bull Terrier Rescue Network app on an iPhone: a new forum post in Health & Medical, sent to California Paws Rescue

Your bull terrier is waiting.

38 bull terriers are ready for a home right now.

Meet the dogs Donate