The Grit Factor Rescue

❤️🤍💙🇺🇸🐾

🚨 AND ALREADY THE SCAMMERS ARE HARD AT WORK !!! Our Venmo/paypal does NOT CONTAIN DASHES or any special characters or spaces NOR DID WE MISSPELL IT- PAY CLOSE ATTENTION 🚨

🇺🇸🎉 The Grit Factor is officially ONE YEAR OLD as a 501(c)(3)! 🎉🇺🇸

When we look back at this year, we feel nothing but gratitude — for every share, every donation, every prayer, every “keep going.”
For a community that believes in small rescue with a big heart.
For YOU — the reason so many dogs got their second chance.

❤️🤍💙Thank you for standing with us and being part of The Grit Factor family.
Here’s to year two: more grit, more heart, more lives saved.❤️🤍💙

🇺🇸 And as we celebrate our first year, we’re celebrating something bigger — America turning 250.
A nation built on courage, community, and showing up when it matters.
That’s exactly what we stand for, too.

We’re proud to be Americans 🇺🇸
We’re proud to serve our community 🐾
We’re proud to rescue with heart & grit💪🏻

🎉To celebrate, we’re sharing some of our new Grit Factor gear — every bit of support helps us cover vet bills and care for the dogs who need us most.🎉

Order NOW - JUNE 20th ONLY!! ONE WEEK ONLY! MUST PREPAY! 💰
$25 Gildan Softstyle
Venmo
Other ways - https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/ES5JEK6CYFC4G

***comment on this post only with order and size or we cannot guarantee your order. ***

✨📖The Grit Gospel📖✨

❤️🐾 “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord…”
— Colossians 3:23

Today I’m out here cleaning kennels from last week’s transport.

Like always, I disinfect the bungees and leashes too. I hang them up to dry and get ready for the next trip.

But today I stopped for a minute.

And I got a little emotional. ❤️

This isn’t even all of them. Just some of the leashes and bungees we used last week. Just pieces of rope. A few clips. Some old leashes.

And yet…

They held crates steady for hundreds of miles so dogs could make it safely to freedom. 🚐🐾

They wrapped around nervous dogs while we moved them from kennel to kennel.

They helped keep puppies safe.

They rode in the G-WAGGIN in the middle of chaos and excitement and barking and hope.

They don’t know what they do.

The leashes don’t know they helped save lives.

The bungees don’t know they helped carry dreams from one state to another.

The dogs don’t know how many people worked together to get them to safety.

But we know.

And maybe that’s the lesson. ✨

Most of us aren’t called to do flashy things.

Sometimes we’re just the leash.

Sometimes we’re just the bungee cord.

Quietly doing our job.

Holding things together.

Helping someone make it safely to the next chapter. ❤️

The smallest things, done with love, can become part of miracles. 🙏🐾

And maybe that’s what this picture really is.

Not just leashes and bungee cords.

But a reminder that ordinary things—and ordinary people—can be used for extraordinary purposes. ❤️🐾

📢 Hardin County Friends — A Quick Reminder About Animal Control Services 🐾

We wanted to share some information that many people may not know.

🏠 Our local municipal shelter, Hardin County Animal Services Tennessee, is open to the public:

🕛 Monday: 12 PM – 4 PM
🕛 Tuesday: 12 PM – 4 PM
❌ Wednesday: Closed
🕛 Thursday: 12 PM – 4 PM
🕛 Friday: 12 PM – 4 PM
🕚 Saturday: 11 AM – 3 PM
❌ Sunday: Closed

The reality is that animal-related situations don’t always happen during business hours. Stray dogs don’t check the clock before showing up, and emergencies certainly don’t wait until noon.

🐶 If you find a stray animal and it is safe to do so, the best option is often to temporarily contain the animal and contact the shelter during normal business hours.

📸 While you’re waiting, consider posting a photo of the animal on Facebook as FOUND, along with the location where it was found. Many pet owners immediately begin searching social media when their pets go missing, and a simple post can sometimes reunite a family before the shelter even opens. ❤️

⚠️ Of course, your safety and the animal’s safety should always come first. Never attempt to handle an animal that is aggressive, injured, or makes you feel unsafe.

If you have a situation involving:

🚨 An animal that has been hit by a vehicle
🚨 An aggressive animal
🚨 An injured animal
🚨 Any situation where you’re unsure what to do

☎️ You can contact Hardin County Non-Emergency Dispatch when the shelter is closed. Dispatch can contact an Animal Control Officer and have them respond when appropriate.

We also want to clarify something we see often:

🐾 The Grit Factor is a rescue and transport organization. We are not animal control, and we are not a municipal shelter.

❌ We do not pick up stray animals.

❌ We cannot legally take a stray dog and immediately send it to rescue.

There is a process in place for stray animals that helps protect both pets and their owners.

🐕‍🦺 When a stray animal enters the shelter system, it must be held for a mandatory stray hold period—typically 3 to 5 days depending on whether the animal has a collar, tag, microchip, or other identifying information. That hold period gives owners an opportunity to locate and reclaim their lost pets before other placement options are considered.

❤️ While we are always happy to help when we can, the first call for a stray animal in Hardin County TN, should be Hardin County Animal Services or, after hours, Hardin County Non-Emergency Dispatch.

A lost pet is often someone’s beloved family member. Following the proper process gives that animal the best chance of making it back home. 🐾🏡

📲 Please share so more Hardin County residents know what resources and options are available.

🚨 AND ALREADY THE SCAMMERS ARE HARD AT WORK !!! Our Venmo/paypal does NOT CONTAIN DASHES or any special characters or spaces NOR DID WE MISSPELL IT- PAY CLOSE ATTENTION 🚨

🇺🇸🎉 The Grit Factor is officially ONE YEAR OLD as a 501(c)(3)! 🎉🇺🇸

When we look back at this year, we feel nothing but gratitude — for every share, every donation, every prayer, every “keep going.”
For a community that believes in small rescue with a big heart.
For YOU — the reason so many dogs got their second chance.

❤️🤍💙Thank you for standing with us and being part of The Grit Factor family.
Here’s to year two: more grit, more heart, more lives saved.❤️🤍💙

🇺🇸 And as we celebrate our first year, we’re celebrating something bigger — America turning 250.
A nation built on courage, community, and showing up when it matters.
That’s exactly what we stand for, too.

We’re proud to be Americans 🇺🇸
We’re proud to serve our community 🐾
We’re proud to rescue with heart & grit💪🏻

🎉To celebrate, we’re sharing some of our new Grit Factor gear — every bit of support helps us cover vet bills and care for the dogs who need us most.🎉

Order NOW - JUNE 20th ONLY!! ONE WEEK ONLY! MUST PREPAY! 💰
$25 Gildan Softstyle
Venmo
Other ways - https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/ES5JEK6CYFC4G

***comment on this post only with order and size or we cannot guarantee your order. ***

😂🐾 What the hell Are Y’all Doing in Mississippi?! 🐾😂

A few months ago, this adorable litter came to us from Mississippi. Black and white. Fluffy. Curly coats. White-tipped tails. Absolutely precious.

Naturally, all of us rescue folks did what rescue folks do.

“Those are doodles.”

“Border Collie doodles.”

“Maybe some Pyrenees.”

Case closed. ✅

Fast forward to the DNA test…

Apparently these puppies are:

🐑 62% Border Collie
🐻 9% Great Pyrenees
🐑 3% Maremma Sheepdog
🐑 2% Komondor
🐑 2% Berger d’Auvergne
🐪 4% Azawakh
🐕 3% Bulgarian Shepherd
🐕 2% Romanian Mioritic Shepherd
🐕 2% Central Asian Ovcharka
🐕 1% Sloughi
⛰️ 4% Estrela Mountain Dog
🌮 3% Chihuahua (because of course there’s a Chihuahua in there)
🐺 1% Wolf
🐶 1% American Cocker Spaniel
🤷‍♀️ 1% Gotlandsstövare

And a few other odds and ends.

Now listen.

I’ve been in rescue a long time. I’ve seen a lot of dogs.

But I need somebody from Mississippi to explain to me where exactly y’all are finding Romanian Mioritic Shepherds, Central Asian Ovcharkas, Bulgarian Shepherds, Estrela Mountain Dogs, Azawakhs, Sloughis, and whatever in the world a Gotlandsstövare is.

Are y’all importing livestock guardian dogs from Eastern Europe?

Is there a secret international shepherd convention happening behind a Dollar General somewhere?

Did somebody accidentally leave the gate open at the United Nations of Dog Breeding?

Because I can barely find a purebred Lab when I need one, but apparently Mississippi is over here assembling dogs from six continents. 🤣

And then I got to the bottom of the DNA report.

Y’all.

ONE PERCENT WOLF.

Not 25% wolf.

Not 10% wolf.

Just enough wolf for Wisdom Panel to say, “Yep. We found one.”

Not enough wolf to howl at the moon.

Not enough wolf to join a pack.

Just enough wolf to make the DNA report way more interesting.

And can we talk about the Gotlandsstövare?

I had to Google it because I was convinced somebody at Wisdom Panel had just leaned on the keyboard.

I mean, seriously. It sounds less like a dog breed and more like something you’d order at IKEA.

“Yeah, I’ll take one Gotlandsstövare, a bookshelf, and some meatballs.”

Meanwhile, this puppy is laying in somebody’s living room chewing on a squeaky toy like she’s the most normal thing in the world while apparently carrying DNA from half of Europe, part of Africa, Central Asia, one Chihuahua, and one random wolf that wandered through the family tree sometime around 1847. 🤣🐺🌍

And this is exactly why I laugh when somebody sees a shelter dog and says:

“Oh, that’s definitely a purebred XYZ.”

Friend.

This puppy LOOKS like a Border Collie mix.

Turns out she’s apparently carrying enough international ancestry to qualify for her own passport. 🌎🐾

The longer I’m in rescue, the more I realize that when it comes to mixed breeds, we truly have no idea what’s in them.

And honestly?

That’s part of what makes them so much fun. ❤️

But I’m still gonna need Mississippi to explain the Bulgarian Shepherd, the Romanian Mioritic Shepherd, and the Gotlandsstövare. 😂🐾🇺🇸

💩🚐🤣 Transport Morning S**t 🤣🚐💩

And no, I’m not talking about stuff. I’m talking about actual p**p. 💩

Every transport morning, I get up early and start stirring everybody. Big dogs go outside to potty. 🐕 Little dogs get checked, watered, loved on, and encouraged to handle all their business before we hit the road.

Years ago, another rescuer taught me that puppies should always have access to food and water. Growing puppies need calories, and keeping them healthy is more important than keeping my blankets clean.

So my puppies always have food and water available. 🍖💧

Which means they always have p**p available too. 💩🤦‍♀️😂

Transport morning is basically like loading kids up for vacation.

📢 “Everybody up!”
📢 “Everybody go potty!”
📢 “We are NOT stopping in five minutes!”

This morning’s passengers are possibly the cutest litter I’ve ever had. They’re Boxer mixes, and yes, we all know I’m a little biased. 🥰🐾❤️ They’re headed to our friends at Mastro Mutts & Meows, and we’re super excited for them.

So this morning, everybody gets up. Everybody gets watered. Everybody potties.

✅ Mission accomplished.

Or so I thought. 😏

I load all the big dogs first. Then I save the puppies for last. They’ve already gone potty. They’ve got clean blankets. They’ve got a clean kennel. Life is good. ✨😇

The second every one of those puppies hits that clean blanket…

💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩

Every.

Single.

One.

Of.

Them.

😳🤦‍♀️😂💩

Apparently they were saving it for the special occasion. 🎉💩

So now we’re doing the Transport Morning Shuffle.

➡️ Get another kennel.
➡️ Get another blanket.
➡️ Move puppies.
➡️ Remove dirty kennel.
➡️ Install clean kennel.
➡️ Reload puppies.

🚨💩🚨💩🚨💩🚨

And now we’re currently headed to CASA Transport at Columbia holding our breath and praying they don’t decide Round Two sounds like a good idea. 🙏🚐😬💨

Nobody tells you when you get into rescue that half your life will be spent strategically moving p**p from one location to another. 🤣💩🏃‍♀️💩

But here we are.

And for these adorable little Boxer babies? 🥹🐾❤️

I’d do it all over again.

Now if y’all could say a quick prayer that they keep all bodily functions to themselves until we get to Columbia, I’d appreciate it … 🤭😉❤️.

🐾🤪 DOODLE MANIA 🤪🐾

Can we talk about the doodle craze for a minute?

This week alone, we were supposed to have SIX doodles on our transport van. Five of those got pushed to next week because, well… rescue. If you’ve been around rescue for more than five minutes, you know plans are merely suggestions. 😅

What absolutely blows my mind is the breeds we’re seeing come through rescue these days. Great Danes. Doodles. Purebreds. Designer breeds. Dogs that people intentionally bred and, in many cases, made a whole lot of money breeding.

Years ago, when people thought “shelter dog,” they pictured a mixed breed mutt. These days? Not so much.

In fact, shelters across the country report seeing more doodles and designer breeds than ever before. One national survey found that more than 60% of shelters and rescues are taking in doodles and other intentionally bred designer dogs. I don’t need a survey to tell me that. I just need to look at my intake list. 😂

Now, let me confess something.

I love all dogs, but doodles rank right up there with Chihuahuas for me. 🤷‍♀️

Why?

Because doodles are often BIG, SMART, ENERGETIC, and completely unaware of their own size. They’re usually either doing zoomies, thinking about doing zoomies, or planning future zoomies. That’s a lot of dog for someone who wasn’t prepared for a lot of dog.

And that’s one reason we see so many of them end up in shelters and rescue. People fall in love with the fluffy teddy bear puppy and don’t realize they’re signing up for grooming appointments, training sessions, exercise requirements, and approximately 14 years of organized chaos. 😆

Now before the doodle owners come after me…

I have met some absolutely fantastic doodles.

And I’m putting Kodak squarely in the fantastic doodle category. ❤️

A few weeks ago, our friends at West Point asked if we could help him. This week, we were finally able to move him.

His owners surrendered him because they couldn’t handle him anymore, but let me tell you something… I’ve had this dog for one day.

ONE DAY.

He has been absolutely precious.

He played. He ate. He drank. He p**ped. He peed. He loved on me. He loved on Joel. He explored a little. And when he was ready to rest, he climbed up on his bed and went to sleep like a perfect gentleman. 🐾

No drama.
No nonsense.
Just a really cool dog.

So we got lucky and got Kodak.

And I think Kodak got lucky too. First he landed at West Point Clay County Animal Shelter. Then he landed with us. And now he’s headed to our friend Krystal at Big Dogs Don’t Cry Inc., where he’s going to get cleaned up, get that hair out of his eyes, and find the family he deserves. ❤️

There is going to be one very lucky family that ends up with this dog.

He’s playful.
He’s sweet.
He’s affectionate.
He’s goofy.
And he’s got enough personality for three dogs.

So maybe one day we’ll chill with the doodles.

Then again, we still haven’t chilled with the pit bulls, so I’m not holding my breath 🙄

🖤