The Power of Pet Rescue and Ownerships
By Nancy McGuire Multiple studies have shown that pet owners reap many physical and mental benefits from their animal friends. Pets offer not only companionship, but also provide a calming presence, help reduce stress and anxiety, and encourage their owners to be physically active. In the case of rescued animals, an extra special bond seems to develop between the two and ‘who rescued whom’ is a phrase heard often among animal rescue groups. Three Richardson-based organizations are rescuing one stray, lost, injured or abused animal at a time. The work they do is demanding and can often take its toll emotionally, but all three rescues are passionate about saving homeless animals. Dallas Street Dog Advocates Although it has ‘Dallas” in its name, Dallas Street Dog Advocates (DSDA) is a Richardson-based rescue. After driving through an area of South Dallas and noticing all the strays, DSDA Vice President Relle Austin came across one dog in particular that tugged at her heart. She coaxed the sickly-looking pup into her car and tried to find a willing rescue, but none would take it. At that moment, Austin realized her calling: to advocate for those dogs who no one, including the typical rescue group, would take. Longtime rescue and foster Elise Bissell and local animal-lover David Maldonado joined Relle in founding DSDA with the mission of rescuing stray and forgotten dogs off the streets of Dallas. DSDA’s staff and facilities are kept minimal so that all funds raised can be used to rescue, vaccinate and spay/ neuter more dogs and cats. They have no kennel space, instead relying solely on fosters willing to act as the bridge between rescue and forever homes. In addition to countless rescues, DSDA also does outreach work in the South Dallas area where so many dogs are dumped. According to Austin, the people in the area who can’t afford the food and vet care necessary to keep their pets in their homes are instrumental in helping DSDA volunteers catch the strays by establishing feeding schedules and routines. They also tell volunteers about the dog’s history. They sponsor spay/ neuter and vaccination clinics as well as pet food drives to support those in need. Although the work is never-ending and can be emotionally draining, Bissell states, “What we have learned from our experience in rescuing dogs off the street is that many of them are highly adoptable. They yearn to love and be loved and deserve to be healthy, happy and have a home of their own.” Austin is driven by the challenge of taking in the most sad and broken animals and providing them the care and love they need to be adoptable pets. “I’m in the rescue business for selfish reasons.” she explains. “The satisfaction and enjoyment from what I do on a daily basis is extremely gratifying.” DSDA Co-Founder Elise Bissell Take Me Home Pet Rescue “One dog, one home, one community, one world. We are all in this together” – Relle Austin, VP, Dallas Street Dog Advocates Also based in Richardson is Take Me Home Pet Rescue (TMHPR), which takes an entirely different approach to animal rescue. Working with a network of other area rescue groups, TMHPR is in constant contact with a myriad of municipal animal shelters in DFW and East Texas to pull dogs and cats believed to be adoptable. Rescue groups such as TMHPR have access to necessary resources such as volunteers, foster homes and media attention that municipal shelters often do not have, thereby making the adoption process easier. TMHPR’s overall goal is to be sure the pets they take in are healthy, sterilized and a good match for their potential adopters. They carefully screen adopters and conduct home visits to be sure the personality and energy level of both pet and potential family are a good fit. Over the last several years, TMHPR has managed to save more than 300 dogs and cats each year. In 2020, TMHPR moved to a new adoption facility at 580 Arapaho Road, which provides more space to host adoption events, has isolation areas for new intakes to make sure no illnesses are spread, and has cat rooms to better house newly tagged felines. While this new facility provides many benefits, TMHPR still relies heavily on fosters to serve as gateways until permanent homes are found for their rescues. Fosters and volunteers are integral to their success in reducing shelter overcrowding and gives the organization the ability to take in more adoptable animals. According to Trish Clark, TMHPR Board Member, volunteer and adopter, “Fosters and volunteers are like gold to us.” She goes on say that “for every foster we bring in, that is just one more animal we can save.” Richardson Animal Services Considered by many to be one of the most well-run municipal shelters in the state, Richardson Animal Services (RAS) takes a different approach in providing animal services but has the same mission: to provide a safe and healthy environment for lost and stray animals. RAS falls under the jurisdiction of Bill Alsup, Health Director for the City of Richardson, but Noura Jammal, the facility’s manager, is responsible for the facility’s day-to-day operations. Noura started working at the RAS sixteen years ago as an animal control officer with no experience and has been caring for the city’s strays ever since. States Alsup, “Noura is a tremendous asset to the City of Richardson, its residents and its pets. Her professionalism and drive for customer service are only exceeded by her passion for animals and their welfare. She has developed many programs that benefit the animals in the shelter’s care and make the Animal Shelter an essential part of the community.” The shelter is open seven days a week (Mon-Fri 10:00 am – 6:00 pm and weekends 12:00 – 5:00 pm), a rarity among shelters who are usually open weekdays only. RAS animal control officers answer calls about strays, make welfare checks, conduct rabies quarantine checks, pick up deceased animals, and complete so
Guy Mezger
It’s not being a six-time world champion combat athlete. It’s not being considered one of the greatest mixed martial arts fighters of all time, having won both the UFC and King of Pancrase titles for Mixed Martial Arts.
The Teng Family (Owners of Jeng Chi Restaurant in Richardson’s Chinatown)
It’s tough to catch Mei “Mama” and Yuan “Papa” Teng when they aren’t working. At 89, Papa is supposed to be retired from the day-to-day operations of Jeng Chi, the restaurant he and Mama founded in Richardson’s Chinatown back in 1990. But “rest” doesn’t seem to be in either of their vocabularies.
RISD Educator’s Corner
RISD 2022-2023 TEACHERS OF THE YEAR RISD celebrated the close of the 2022-2023 school year by naming Mary Altmann and Ernie Huben as Elementary School Teacher of the Year and Middle School Teacher of the Year, respectively. Mary, a sixth-grade math and science teacher at Prestonwood Elementary, grew up in Plano and now lives in Addison with her husband, Sean. She has been teaching for eight years. Ernie is an eighth grade algebra teacher at Liberty Junior High School who lives in Richardson with his wife Janet, an instructional coach at Lake Highlands Elementary, and their two children. Ernie has been teaching for twenty-seven years. We asked Mary and Ernie to share a bit of wisdom with us in the form of advice or stories. As you send your own children or grandchildren back to school this year, know that they are in good hands with teachers like Mary and Ernie in the classroom. ERNIE HUBEN The seeds, and revel in the results. Staying in Richardson has allowed me to see the fruits of my labor, the success stories of my former students who come back to visit long after they have graduated. I never judge success by financial gains, but rather by those who do what makes them happy. I have talked to teachers, doctors, lawyers, auto mechanics, veterinarians, and more with one thing in common: they all had me as a teacher. I continually have my “George Bailey moments,” thanks to my students. I am truly blessed to have grown up in Richardson and now make my living in some of the same schools I attended. It is an honor to give back to the community that made me feel safe, valued, loved and excited about learning, all at the same time. In the summer of 1977, my mom moved us to Richardson after my father passed away. I was enrolled in Springridge Elementary in kindergarten and spent all seven years of elementary school there. I then went on to Liberty Junior High and graduated from Berkner High School in 1991. I attended Angelo State University, the longest time I have ever spent away from Richardson. While preparing to take the MCAT, I met a girl who was in the middle of student teaching. Several conversations later, I changed my major and my future. I remember calling my mom and telling her, “I’ve decided to be poor for the rest of my life!” After graduating in December, I received a phone call from my childhood principal asking if I’d want a teacher’s aide position for the remainder of the year…at Springridge, the same elementary school I had attended. At that moment, Richardson became my Bedford Falls, the fictional town that is the setting for George Bailey’s journey in the movie It’s a Wonderful Life. I admired the character of George Bailey—the fact that he poured so much into making Bedford Falls a better place to live, with no regard for himself. Ernie teaching at Liberty Junior High I spent seventeen years of my teaching career at Springridge Elementary. To be able to teach beside many of my former teachers was an absolute thrill. To walk down the halls of the building which I had walked so many years before warmed my heart. Throughout my career, I had been in contact with the principal at Liberty Junior High. I finally decided the time was right to make the move to middle school and I have taught ever since at the same place I attended—Liberty Junior High. My classroom is the tiny part of Richardson in which I can emulate George Bailey. While George Bailey was concerned with affordable housing, I concern myself with the futures of those I teach. My classroom is my garden and the environment I create is the soil. I’m able to cultivate the soil, plant Mr. Potter couldn’t convince me to go elsewhere despite his millions. While I do need a new fence and a new car, Richardson is the district where I will remain. I heard a little girl once say, “Every time the bell rings, a teacher gets his or her wings.” Okay…I may have changed the ending a bit, but I believe this to be true. I can pass on those “wings,” which will raise my students to heights they had never imagined. And there is not a better job in the world than that. Ernie and Mary, RISD Teachers of the Year MARY ALTMAN Teachers, administrators, parents, families and the entire RISD community all have one very important thing in common: we each want the best for students. As an educator, I have witnessed hundreds of students experiencing personal and academic growth each year. Parents can help teachers ensure student success with their own actions, which are crucial for a child’s personal and academic growth. In class your students may hear me use the phrase, “I love you, but I’m not going to help you, yet.” When our students say they don’t know, we must remind them that they just don’t know, yet. They need to give themselves a chance: to use their notes, their resources, their strategies. More often than not, they’re able to take a step in the right direction. If students try but fail, part of our job is help them realize that failure is simply a part of the process. We learn from every error and we take that knowledge and move forward. By creating a safe space where taking risks and failing is encouraged and accepted, we empower students. We show them how capable they are and how to take that first step without fear. Mary Atlman on far right Create Experiences A lifelong love of learning is not built from textbooks and routine notes, but rather through experiences that make learning engaging and memorable: singing, dancing, movement, art (yes, even in math!), technology, robotics and so much more. Students in my classroom are exposed to new skills such as coding or