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News Coverage Promoting Adoption and Foster

Earlier this week, we put out a press release calling on the community to help alleviate the capacity concerns at Dallas Animal Services. Many news organizations across the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex came and reported on our needs. Here are a few of the articles published that have helped drive people to come to our shelter this week:

Dallas Morning News

CBS 11

Fox 4

NBC 5

KRLD

National Animal Care and Control Week

Big shoutout to Animal Services Officer Michael Matthias for responding swiftly and compassionately to service requests.

National Animal Care and Control Appreciation Week is April 10 - 16. Please thank our Animal Services Officers for their hard work each and every day the next time you see them! If you'd like to give an ASO a shoutout or recount a story of excellent service to the community, please send an email to DASPIO@DallasCityHall.com.

Check out this blog post from the Association for Animal Welfare Advancement (AAWA) honoring the service animal care and control officers provide to our communities.

Childcare Subsidies Available to City of Dallas Employees

Did you know? The City of Dallas offers free childcare subsidies to employees who are enrolled in one of the offered medical plans and enroll in the Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA). To find out more, please email HRBenefits@DallasCityHall.com.

Volunteer Appreciation Week

Volunteer Appreciation Week is April 17 - 23. Please take a moment at some point next week to thank a volunteer! Our volunteers donate their time and efforts to help us save lives in our community and we are so grateful for them.

Maddie's Fund National Shelter and Rescue Support Calls

These calls happen every single Monday at 10 A.M. and are a great resource for all employees at shelters and rescues! Even if you can just listen in while you are completing other duties, we strongly encourage you to join in on these calls. You can always watch previously recorded calls here.

This week's call included:

• Bringing People In: Making Connections to Save More Lives, featuring Jess Roper; National Operations Support Specialist and Christine Colvin; National Community Engagement Coordinator from Best Friends Animal Society.

  • We hear all the time that “people are the solution,” but what does that look like in your day-to-day work? Every touchpoint with people gives us the opportunity to make a connection that will result in better outcomes for the humans and animals in our community. Our foster caregivers, volunteers, and adopters have already raised their hand to offer us their support, but how can we ensure that they resonate with their “why” and continue to be involved and inspired? By including these community members in innovative ways, we can make life better for people and their pets, moving us closer to a time when animal services entities and the community work together to save lives and keep families together. In this presentation, we talk about out-of-the-box ways to keep volunteers, foster caregivers, adopters, and the general community engaged with your work.

  • Hidden question: When is National Volunteer Week? Email MeLissaWebber@DallasCityHall.com with the answer for a chance to win a prize!

Upcoming Webinars

Saving the Smallest: Optimizing Neonatal/Pediatric Kitten & Puppy Care in Shelters

Wednesday, April 27 - AAWA

We all know how difficult this period of care can be for shelters and their foster families. This interactive webinar will give participants actionable steps to help improve the care provided to neonatal/infant puppies and kittens in their shelter and foster homes. After this webinar, attendees will be able to:

• Describe the developmental milestones for puppies and kittens from birth to 8 weeks and recognize what is “normal”
• Identify the most common causes of neonatal mortality and steps that can be taken to minimize the risk
• Create foster care protocols that optimize live outcomes for neonatal puppies and kittens
• Shelter medicine staff and anyone in the shelter who works with fosters or recruits fosters will benefit from this session.

This session is part of the Shelter Medicine series, a collaboration between the Association of Shelter Veterinarians and The Association for Animal Welfare Advancement.

This live and recorded program is approved for:

1 Certified Animal Welfare Administrator continuing education credit
1 CE towards ACO CE requirements per Ch. 829 of the Texas Health and Safety Code by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS)

Shoutout to the Playgroups Team

A huge round of applause for the Playgroups Team! Erika Bennett, Juana Alejandre, Tyler Edwards-King, and Danielle Lockett have been working so hard this week to pair as many dogs as possible. They managed to get a whopping 80 dogs out to playgroup last Saturday! The notes they take during playgroup are so essential to helping dogs find homes. Supervisor Erika Bennett notes: "Over the past few weeks, I have asked, and they have asked how high over and over. I am proud of the team and the effort they give daily."

Shoutout to the Adoptions Team

We couldn't be more proud of the adoptions team for their work this week as we are inundated with people coming to the shelter to adopt. The lobby was completely full yesterday and they handled the crowd with professionalism.

Lauren Welch and Danielle Fry kept the line moving by starting the adoption process in the hallways and expanding adoption possibilities for those seeking a new pet. 

Thank you for guiding so many people through the process of adopting a new pet.

Shoutout to Andy Sesmas

We received a compliment from a citizen for Andy Sesmas after he responded to a service request. They appreciated his prompt response and noted that he was very courteous. 

Shoutout to Burnett Woods and Felix Sledge

Thank you for yet again going above and beyond! A resident's car battery died in our parking lot and they helped jump start her car so she could get back on her way. 

Shoutout to Satya Chennakesavala

From Ann Barnes: "This week, I had a key team member out while verifying the monthly fact sheets. Without Satya's assistance, we wouldn't have been able to meet the deadline. Satya is always very helpful, he listens to our concerns, and he is easy to work with to find a solution. Thank Satya!"

Shoutout to Mich'ele Vallien

When food arrived from Dr. Karen Fling of East Lake Veterinary Hospital, Mich'ele didn't even hesitate to help! She jumped right in to safely handle and distribute the food to employees. Thank you for keeping things sanitary and the line moving so everyone could eat!

Shoutout to Jonathan Zook

The managers want to highlight the excellent work of Jonathan Zook. He is patient, helpful and thorough, all while being a great communicator and team player. 

Shoutout to Briena Dart

With the lobby completely full, Brie jumped right in and helped the adoptions team run adopted dogs up to the counter. Thank you for stepping up to help to provide great customer service.

April Showers Bring...More Dogs!

Our adoption promotion for the beginning of April is "It's Raining Cats Dogs and Dogs!" All adoptions are still free, and we are still pushing hard to promote large dogs.

Low-Cost Vaccination Clinic - April 16

We're teaming up with our friends at Texas Coalition for Animal Protection (TCAP) to offer Affordable Vaccine Clinics right here at Dallas Animal Services.
Pricing information found here.

These vaccine clinics are for dogs and cats! No appointment or tickets are needed but please arrive early to make sure you receive service and prepare for a line.

Family Weekends at AT&T PAC - April 23

Kick off your weekends at Sammons Park with these free outdoor events perfect for the whole family. Enjoy complimentary activities for children like face painting, balloon artists, and a petting zoo. Gather the family to play lawn games and a round of mini golf at the Reliant Putting Green. Our friends from Dallas Animal Services will be onsite from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. with dogs looking for their forever homes. Bring your own picnic or grab lunch at the Center Café to wrap up an ideal family outing!

Free Vaccine and Microchip Clinic - April 23

Spay Neuter Network is partnering with Operation Kindness and Dallas Animal Services for a Free Microchip, Distemper/Parvo and Rabies Vaccine clinic. Free vaccines are for DOGS ONLY. Other vaccines, Heartworm tests, and preventative medication will be offered at our low-cost prices.

Location: 2223 S Buckner Blvd, suite 203 Dallas, TX 75227

No appointment is needed but arrive early to make sure you receive service and prepare for a line. Vaccine costs are listed here.

• Animal Services Officer (Closing 04/30/22)
• Lead Animal Services Officer (Closing 04/16/22)
• Manager - Animal Services Community Programs (Closing 04/23/22)
• Volunteer Coordinator *BILINGUAL* (Closing 04/16/22)
• Temporary Veterinarian (Closing 04/19/22)

Letter from T.C.:

Click here to view the latest letter from City Manager T.C. Broadnax.

City News:

• City media releases can be found here.
• City news is posted here.

Dallas Animal Services, 1818 North Westmoreland Drive, Dallas, TX 75212  |   Website | Contact: DASpio@dallascityhall.com