Rebecca Corry
Rebecca Corry is an actress, comedian and writer who uses her platform and talent to stand up for pit bull type dogs. She is the Executive Director and Founder of the Stand Up For Pits Foundation which is a nonprofit committed to “ending abuse, discrimination, and saving the lives of pit bull ‘type’ dogs.” Through educating, advocating, front line rescue efforts, programs and initiatives, the SUFP foundation has and continues to make real change and save millions of lives.
How did you start the Stand Up For Pits Foundation?
A pit bull “type” dog by the name of Angel came into my life and changed the trajectory of it. Adopting Angel opened my eyes to the horrific plight of these inherently good dogs. I was sickened and saddened at what I learned but once I did, doing nothing was not an option. So, in 2011 I created and produced the first ever Stand Up For Pits event at the Hollywood Improv. I invited some of my comic friends to perform (Tig Notaro, Natasha Leggero, Brody Stevens, Eddie Peppitone, Mo Collins, Jimmy Pardo and more…) and it was a huge success. Thousands of dollars were raised and every penny went directly to a local pit bull type dog rescue that I chose to participate/benefit. Stand Up For Pits events raise funds, awareness, help get dogs adopted, grow rescues and collect donated shelter supplies that go directly to local shelters. I then decided to produce Stand Up For Pits events nationally continuing to donate my time and all the funds continued to go directly rescues. After a few years of doing that while educating myself more about pit bull type dogs and the injustices done to them, I felt I needed to do more. So, I created and organized the first ever One Million PIBBLE March on Washington DC in an effort to raise awareness about BSL (Breed Specific Legislation aka discrimination enshrined in law) and the national dogfighting epidemic. It was then I decided to become my own nonprofit foundation so I could allocate funds towards what I felt would best help make an impact and save lives. To put the work load in perspective, organizing and producing Stand Up For Pits national tours are like planning 15 different weddings in cities around the country all at the same time by yourself… except harder. It’s brutal but organizing the One PIBBLE march on Washington DC was, without question, the hardest thing I have ever done. In the year it took me to organize the march, I was also shooting a sit com, touring Stand Up For Pits events and fighting Angel’s progressing cancer. I got sick, lost a lot of hair, sleep and even some friends who were comfortable with living in fear based ignorance. I was seen as a stupid comedian and treated as such by many in the animal welfare community and the anti pit bull psychos and groups threatened me and Angel (literally and figuratively) for standing up for these dogs. The threats and vitriol was unabashed, public and daily. Their goal was to make me shut up and quit, instead it made me work even harder and get louder which resulted in thousands upon thousands of people joining me in DC to march and rally as one loud voice for the voiceless victims we all love so much. Against all odds, tireless dedication and the inspiration of a magical being named Angel, the Stand Up For Pits Foundation was born and continues to grow organically every year.
When did you realize that you had a passion for comedy? Has comedy always been a big part of your life?
I’ve always loved laughing and acting like a fool. Growing up I was the moron in detention and was voted “Class Clown” in high school. Laughter was and still is, in some ways a coping mechanism for me. Finding the funny in times of suffering, pain and trauma (which was my childhood) is what saved me from a life of giving hand jobs behind Donut Time for crack money. But I started seriously learning and performing the art of comedy 30 years ago in Chicago. I had only been in Chicago a couple of months when my husband and I met two actors from The Second City (Rose Abdoo & Jimmy Doyle) in Lincoln Park. They saw our dog and stopped to say hello. After talking for a while they invited us to one of their shows and we went. I loved watching them perform so much I decided to audition for The Second City training center. Getting a spot in the training center back then was coveted and hard to do but I got accepted and at the time, Tina Fey, Steve Carrell, Amy Sedaris, Steve Colbert and Mitch Rouse (just to name a few) were all main stage actors. As a student I got to see shows at a discount, so I watched as many as I could and feel lucky I got to see and be inspired by those guys, especially at that point in their careers. After graduating from the training center I studied acting and writing at different theaters around town. I did plays and performed in other shows and got hired to do audience warm up at the Jenny Jones Show. Spending hours on stage alone keeping the audience entertained was where I first started performing a version of stand up comedy which led to me writing and performing sketches on the show. I’m grateful the foundation of my comedy career happened in Chicago but after 10 years it was time to make the move to Los Angeles. A few months after arriving in LA, I did my first real stand up “set” at the Hollywood Improv auditioning for the Montreal Comedy Festival and I got in. I performed at the “New Face” showcase along with Kevin Hart, Dean Edwards, DeRay Davis and others. Performing at the festival as well as watching and hanging out with the other comics solidified my love of stand up and the comedy community. I went on to do CC’s Premium Blend, a Comedy Central half hour special and was a finalist on Last Comic Standing which led to headlining colleges and clubs. I’ve been touring for over two decades, love the writing and performing process stand up comedy brings and I intend on doing it for as long as I can.
Can you tell us a little about the balance between acting, comedy and the SUFP Foundation in your life?
I used to believe comedy and acting was my purpose in life but after adopting Angel I soon learned my purpose is saving pit bull type dogs. For me, telling jokes for something bigger than myself is fulfilling, important and exactly what I should be doing. If someone would have told me my comedy and acting career would lead me to being the Executive Director of a national nonprofit that saves pit bull type dogs, I would have never believed it. I’m still passionate about acting and comedy but there’s no question both have suffered due to the path my life has taken in animal welfare. Creating, growing and operating the SUFP Foundation takes me out of Los Angeles which has made auditioning and/or getting working hard. And when the majority of hours every day are spent on the foundation, it also makes developing and writing new projects difficult but I still do it. However, after many years of doing both and barely able to keep my head above water, it became clear I needed to make a decision on what would be my primary focus and job. I chose the foundation and saving dogs and made all other things secondary. It would be easier to book gigs and earn in a few weeks what it now takes me a year to make and health insurance and a secure future would be nice but I wouldn’t be happy. Don't get me wrong, dealing with bullshit and some of the idiots in animal welfare doesn't make me "Happy" but saving dogs does. So being the Executive Director of SUFP is my job all day every day all year round and it is exactly what I should be doing. That said, I will never stop creating and will continue to audition, develop and perform. Angel taught me about what really matters and how to live a purpose driven life. I’d be an asshole to ignore that gift, so I don’t and never will. And honestly, there is literally no sacrifice or struggle that could ever compare to what these poor dogs have and continue to endure. It's fucking disgusting and we should all be doing everything we can to end it.
Are you currently working on anything new you would like to tell us about?
I’m always working on new stand up material and love performing it at Stand Up For Pits events around the country. I’m also preparing to direct a feature length documentary. I can’t say too much about it but I can say that I’m excited and equally terrified to tell the story. It’s been a long time coming, it’s important and I believe it will make an impact. I also have a couple of other projects I’m working on and will announce when they are set up. After doing this for so many years, I’ve learned to not talk about things until they are actually happening. That said, when they do happen, you bet your ass I'll be talking about it and will not spare any details.
Where did this passion for protecting animals, but especially pit bulls come from?
Since I can remember I have loved animals more than people and I have been saving dogs long before the SUFP Foundation. I believe the best dogs on planet earth are pit bull type dogs and the fact that they are so abused, vilified and killed makes me sick to my stomach. I see myself in them because I personally know what it feels like to be victimized and it's traumatic. So, of course knowing the trauma these dogs endure is going to resonate with me on a very personal and deep level. I could be wrong but I think this is true for a lot of people in the pit bull type dog community and in the animal welfare community. Victimized humans trying to right wrongs. For me, it was Angel and her story that ignited the fire in me to do something but other stories keep the fire burning too. As you can imagine, I have seen and heard some of the most unthinkable stories and I work hard at compartmentalizing and trying to block them out but there are a few stories that haunt me regularly. Years ago, I watched an HBO documentary on dogfighting and I remember seeing this horrible shit bag of a human kick a little grey female pit bull down a flight of stairs. It knocked the breath out of me and I literally gagged. I sobbed so hard I almost threw up. I can still see her face and the way she looked at him as she picked herself up off the ground. She was hurt, defeated, confused, scared and broken. She could not understand why he would do that to her when all she wanted to do was love him. I think about her all the time and wonder whatever happened to her. I hope she’s now finally at peace and if there is an after life, I hope I get to meet her and kiss her sweet face. If I ever met the man who did that to her, I would rip his fucking eyes out of his head with my bare hands.
Do you have any new ideas or plans to spread awareness to a bigger audience/more people?
Spay & Neuter ANGEL Day is a SUFP initiative that fully funds the spays and neuters of pit bull type dogs in underserved communities around the county. I created this initiative in memory of Angel who passed away April 2nd, 2016. SUFP has fully funded thousands of spays and neuters and it is truly making a difference and will for years to come. To my knowledge this is the only effort of it’s kind being done specific to pit bull type dogs. Since 85% of all shelter dogs are labeled pit bulls then it only makes sense this should be a priority and I’m shocked it’s not to others. Angel Day has gotten some traction for sure but people are simply more likely to donate to and support the dog in a viral video that’s shivering and terrified in a shelter (which is good and understandable) before donating to an initiative that prevents that kind of suffering. It’s hard to get people excited about spay and neuter because it doesn’t pull at the heartstrings which makes it hard because it’s expensive. So that’s a bit of an uphill battle we face but we are 100% committed to spay and neuter because it is a real solution to lowering intake and euthanasia numbers. SUFP also funds and operates the dogfighting tip line in Los Angeles County. We can’t post information on tips or things being investigated but it is a valued resource which we will continue to provide. The documentary I mentioned earlier is one real hope we have for reaching more people as well. Amy Zeiring is attached to the project. Amy is brilliant, a friend and a real champion of women. The genius is Fiona Apple wrote an original song for the documentary which is just incredible. Fiona’s dedication to pit bull type dogs and her support and friendship means everything. She is a real example of what walking the walk looks like and she does all her activism and advocacy for the right reasons. So honored to have her and her incredible band (Sebastian Steinberg, David Garza, Amy Aileen Wood) be a part of it. The film will take some time, but will happen. Focussing on the work at hand, being open to new ideas, collaborating and doing things differently are also vital to change because clearly, the old ways are not working. Shelters and rescues are still full, breeders are still breeding and people are still buying dogs. Law that are supposed to protect these dogs are not even being enforced and the punishments don’t come close to fitting the crime. As a society we have to do better and different and that’s what I have always tried doing with the SUFP Foundation. I believe if you build it they will come and the ones who find their way to us, are the doers and those are supporters we want.
How do you stay so passionate and motivated about what you do in hard times like these?
I look into the eyes of these dogs. It’s as simple as that. I see their inherent goodness and endless ability to love and that’s enough to keep going. Not one bit of what is happening to them is their fault. Not one of them deserves to sit in a cold cement cell, be led down a dark hallway to a room and die never knowing love and respect. Dogs are not garbage that can be disposed of and they should not be seen or treated as “property.” They are sentient beings with feelings and souls and the greatest teachers on this planet and we are lucky enough to get to share our lives with them. Each one of them is a gift and their plight and suffering doesn’t depend on good or bad times. The fact is, their suffering is all time and that reality is continuous motivation to keep fighting for them. I’d also like to take this opportunity to address all the repugnant selfish assholes who took in dogs to help get them through the pandemic who are now dumping them in shelters. If you’re one of those people reading this, please know you are broken and need to take a long hard look in the mirror and figure out what inside of you is so fucked up. Then you need to take the steps to change, never procreate or ever touch another animal for as long as you live. Every time I saw a post about empty shelters or articles about how many animals were getting adopted, I felt fear, doubt, dread and worry because I just knew this would happen. Imagine the terror and confusion all these dogs are now feeling and once again the animal welfare community is left to clean up the mess. Sadly, the list of what keeps me motivated to help innocent victims of humanity is far too long to list.
What is the goal for this foundation/where do you see this foundation in 5-10 years?
My goal for the SUFP Foundation in 5-10 years is to shut it down because human beings have stopped abusing, discriminating and killing pit bull type dogs. My dream is that shelters would be empty and that there would be no need for rescues and/or foundations like mine. Sadly, I don’t think that is going to happen because human beings are broken and refuse to learn and change. So I choose to stay present and focus on what needs to be done on a day by day minute by minute basis. Keeping the focus on what is in my power and doing what I can to change as many minds and save as many lives as possible is all I and anyone else dedicated to ending this nightmare can do. Pit bull type dogs being burned alive, fought, raped, neglected, thrown away, tortured and killed is reality. I understand why most of the people I knew as advocates and activists when I started over 11 years ago have quit. It’s a very hard and polarizing cause and compassion fatigue is also a very real thing. But, we have to keep going because they don’t have a chance without people fighting for them and it’s not just an “animal welfare” issue. Animal abuse, neglect and mass murder is a societal issue and everyone has an obligation to help end it. Factually, those who abuse animals will likely and most often times do go on to commit crimes against people. That alone should be enough to make every person in every community not sit back and expect the “crazy dog people” to handle it all. People can donate, volunteer, foster, educate, advocate, support spay & neuter efforts and solution driven initiatives and for fuck sake, if you see or suspect someone is abusing a dog DO SOMETHING. Law enforcement and the animal welfare community need everyone to do their part in order to make communities safer for humans and pets. It is not fair or realistic to put it all off on the nonprofit sector.
What is your life motto?
I’m not sure I have a life motto. In fact, I’m not a big fan of life. I mean... I’m not miserable being alive, I recognize and experience joy but I guess the disappointment that comes with life and the suffering I see and hear on a daily basis makes it impossible for me to believe in a short sentence or phrase that has meaning to live by. But for the sake of answering the question, I will say, I worship the ground my dogs walk on, I’m happiest when I’m with them and around other pit bull type dogs. I find their humor, authenticity, ability to be present and a million other things about them inspiring. So… if I did have a life motto, it would be “If people were more like dogs, the world will be a better place.”
What are you socials?
IG @standupforpitsfoundation @rebeccacorry @sallyandtodd
FB rebeccacorry standupforpitsfoundation
Twitter @therebeccacorry @sufpfoundation
CREW CREDITS:
Creative Director, Photographer + Producer: Mike Ruiz
Talent: Rebecca Corry
Makeup: Ozzie Guttierez
Hair: Johnny Stuntz
Tearsheets: Daniel López, Graphic Design, PhotoBook Magazine
Interview: Sarah Tota, Contributor, PhotoBook Magazine
