They say a dog is a man’s best friend. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to apply to all dogs.

Prairie Pit Bull Rescue is a local shelter focused specifically on pit bull breeds.

The rescue began in 2000 as an all-breed rescue. After a decade, they switched focus to pit bulls, feeling that the breed needed help after the breed-specific legislations began being implemented around the nation.

“We got to know them a little bit and realized they’re just dogs, like any other dog. They’re really not that special at all. We decided to focus on the bull breeds,” said Natalie Kent, founder of the rescue.

Currently, the rescue hosts a dozen adult dogs and eight puppies. All the dogs are adoptable for a fee that covers vaccinations, de-worming, spay and neutering.

The address to the rescue is kept private for safety reasons.

“Sometimes dogs are in here for their own protection. This is kind of a secret oasis for the dogs and the volunteers,” Kent added.

There are a number of cities around the area that prohibit, restrict or even ban pit bulls. Picture Butte, Magrath and Milk River all have restrictions on allowing the animals in their community.

“[All dog breeds] have good traits and bad traits. Pit bulls just get a bad rap unfortunately,” Kelly Bloomberg, former vet technician said.

Bloomberg used to work closely with Prairie Pitbull Rescue, doing exams for the dogs when they were brought in. She has a pit bull mix of her own and is fond of the organization.

“I think anytime there’s an organization that works with any specific breed, it’s only a benefit to those animals that need homes.”

Prairie Pit Bull Rescue is a registered Canadian charity and relies on donations, merchandise sales and adoption fees to keep the organization running.