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 many other tasks. Shelter employees take care of Richardson’s human and animal populations, ensuring that the strays are cared for and the humans are educated through a variety of outreach programs: HOA meetings, RISD and DISD educational programs, city-sponsored functions and more.
Jammal and her team count on the support of their wonderful volunteers and several nonprofits within the community. RAS provides extra pet food and informational packets to Network. They conduct outreach to RISD during Career Day, volunteer initiatives and through an ongoing internship program. Employees and students take tours and participate in service days for cleaning, learning and more. RAS also participates in the Mayor’s internship Program, providing young adults handson learning about shelter operations and pet care. Additionally, UTD, State Farm, Geico, Starbucks, and other local businesses support the shelter through service days, which include shelter tours and information gathering.
States Jammal, “We are here to help! We’re not the last resort! We work with citizens to help them figure out a way to be with their pets. And if I don’t have the answer, I’ll try to find the answer.” She would like to remind anyone considering getting a pet to understand that pet ownership is a long-term commitment that includes life changes and issues such as cost, interference with work, schedules and life. A way to make sure that pet ownership is a responsibility suited to an individual is to come and volunteer at the RAS.
While each of these organizations operates a little differently, all work hard to provide a safe and healthy environment for pets and their owners. If you have the desire to adopt, foster, volunteer or donate, reach out to these groups serving the Richardson community saving one animal at a time.
DSDA Pup
RAS manager Noura Jammal with Remmy
Richardson Animal Shelter
http://cor.net/departments/animal-services
@richardsonanimalshelter
Dallas Street Dog Advocates
http://dsda.org@dallasstreetdogadvocates
Take Me Home Pet Rescue
http://takemehomepetrescue.com
@takemehomepetrescue
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