Sit Up For Pups

Barbells For Bullies, ABMAT team up to raise awareness for

shelter overpopulation, bully breeds

Where:

From anywhere! The purpose of this event is to bring awareness to challenges that face shelter animals.

When:

March 1 - March 31, 2020

Why:

1.2 million dogs are killed annually in the US, and that is just a best estimate from a variety of sources. It's also estimated that as many as 1,200 "pit bulls" a day are euthanized (Source). While statistics can be specious, no matter what - both of these numbers are unacceptable.

How:

We intend to raise awareness by challenging the CrossFit and fitness community at large to accumulate 1.2 million sit ups - Hence, sit ups for pups!

Event

Our goal is to collectively do at least 1.2 million sit ups as a fitness community in the month of March, to represent the estimated 1.2 million dogs that are euthanized every year.

That's the population of Dallas, TX. And it happens every single year.

Shelter overpopulation is a huge concern but we can all make a difference.

Adopt, foster, volunteer, advocate, educate.

This event is all about getting people involved and raising awareness, and costs absolutely nothing to enter. This is about exemplifying our mission of fostering a fit community that rallies around rescue!

Rep Tracker (Google Sheets)

We have a Google Sheets template above that you can use at your gym or with your fitness community to track your reps, or keep track on your own. Please follow the instructions on the linked document.

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Facts, Stats, and Research

Shelter overpopulation is a major problem in the US. Over $3B is spent annually to maintain shalters, the majority of which are full or close to capacity at all times. An additional $800M-$1B is spent on animal control alone! Source
Live outcomes - that is animals that make it out of the shelter alive, vary greatly regionally and locally. Southern states in the US, Texas, and California have the lowest live outcome rates. It's estimated that over 70,000 pit bull type dogs are killed in the LA metro area annually alone! Source
Of the 3 million cats and dogs that are killed in shelters each year, over 80% of them are healthy and treatable and could have been adopted to loving homes. Read: animals are sometimes killed for space when they could be adopted out. Source
But you want a purebred, you say? 25% of dogs in shelters are purebred.Source
Labels are dangerous. Several studies have concluded that not only is it exceptionally difficult to accurately assess a dogs breed just by looking at it, but over 40% of dogs in shelters that were labeled as "pit bulls" were not at all any type of bully breed whatsoever! Source
Moreover, it's been empirically proven that mislabeling dogs, or labeling dogs as "pit bull mixes" reduce their chances of adoption significantly, presumably due to stereotypes and media bias. Several studies have shown that removing labels increases adoption rates and forces people to consider a dog as an individual - not as a "breed" alone. Source

How To Get Involved

Google Sheet!

Tell your gym owner, friends, coach, cousin, exes, and anybody else that is into fitness and also into being a good human that helps their community. It costs $0 to enter. Name another fitness challenge that doesn't cost anything and you can win limited edition Abmats! MAKE SURE YOU READ AND FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS SLIDE!

Use the sheet (linked above) to track your reps as an individual, or share with your gym and create a challenge, make it a part of your cash out, of have an ab session on a Saturday. Bonus points if you get a pup to sit and hold your feet! Use #situpsforpups to be featured!

Share on socials! Tell people about the event via Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc! The more people involved, the more of an impact we can make, the more awareness we can generate, the more lives we can save!

Please take video if you or your gym are going to do an insane amount of reps so we can corroborate it! While this is based on the honor system, we will ask for proof if a gym suddenly inputs 10,000 reps. You can tag us on socials, or use the #situpsforpups and we can go find it.

I want to fundraise, too!

Want to do more? You can sign up as a gym/team and raise money WHILE raising awareness, or sign up as an individual. It's free, easy, and intuitive to set up a page. Click HERE then click "I want to fundraise for this."

Fundraising Incentives

Sit Ups For Pups - P2P Gym Incentive .pn

sit ups for pups gym incentive 2500 (1).

The gym or fitness community that puts up the most reps will win 6 can't-buy-them-anywhere Abmats!

The top individuals/garage athletes will earn one as well!

"The whole point of this endeavor is to exemplify our mission of fostering a fit community that rallies around rescue and utilizes fitness as a method of engagement and awareness. We want this to start conversations and engage people, i.e. 'hey, why are we trying to do a million sit ups?' 'Because that's how many dogs are killed every year in shelters.' We're hoping people will hear that and get in the fight, and start to volunteer, advocate, educate, adopt, foster, and do whatever else they can!"

- Alex Castiglione, Founder, Barbells For Bullies

To learn more about the reason behind the 2020 Pittie Design, click HERE.

Sit Ups For Pups (So Far)

50+

GYMS INVOLVED

1,405,086!

SIT UPS ACCUMULATED

2100+

ATHLETES PARTICIPATING

AMRAPS: As Many Rescues As Possible

Our goal, as an organization, is to help AMRAP: As Many Rescues As Possible. Whether it's small rescues organizations around the US or rescue pups in need, we're here to help as many as we can. Regardless of breed, age, or location, we exist to fight for the underdog, and want to create a fit and socially conscientious community that rallies around rescue. Whether it involves a barbell or not, if it's about fitness and community, count us in.

We're here to make a difference, and let you know we all can make a difference. One random act of kindness at a time.