DAS Things to Know June 20th, 2023

City of Dallas sent this bulletin at 06/20/2023 04:59 PM CDT

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Clean Break Update

Thank you to everyone for taking on the challenge of Clean Break, Part II! We appreciate your patience and flexibility as we have enhanced our disease prevention protocols. As a result of your hard work, we are moving steadily through the shelter. Below is the latest version of the map.

Field needs your jugs!

Help keep dogs cool in this heat and donate old milk jugs to be used to keep dogs cool at intake and in kennels. Please deliver any empty jug donations to the field office. Please email Ann Barnes with any questions: annbarnes@dallas.gov

Staff Favorite Photos - submit your favorite pup!

We still need staff favorites! We have NO current staff favorite photos that are still in the shelter. CLICK HERE to take the survey and submit pictures of your shelter favorite!

Make sure to be as detailed as possible, and take some cute glamour shots or selfies with your staff favorite!

Want us to take your picture with a pup? Email DASPIO@Dallas.gov and we can set up your furry photo shoot!

2023 Benefits and Wellness Expo

We’re excited to announce the coming of the 2023 Benefits and Wellness Expo happening July 27, 2023 from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM at City Hall Plaza!

Your total health and well-being is one of the City’s top priorities! Join us to learn more about living a healthy lifestyle in a fun and interactive way. More details to come!

DAS Staff Featured in Dallas Employee Art Show

DAS' Jillian Applebaum will be featured in the Inaugural Dallas Employee Art Show. A description of her piece:

"‘Ecology and Revolutionary Thought’ is a mixed media collage piece that juxtaposes the interactions of the self in society to physical surroundings and how they tempt the choices we make. This piece is made from paper, pen, resin, and a reclaimed wooden cabinet door panel."

IDEAS is an art exhibition featuring artwork by City of
Dallas employees sponsored by the City of Dallas, Office of Arts and Culture. The reception will take place June 26th at 2PM in the City Hall Lobby.

Employee Engagement Group

Want to help work on projects to build camaraderie and have some fun with your coworkers? Join the Employee Appreciation Group and help us make DAS an even better place to work. Email jillian.appelbaum@dallas.gov if interested!

2023 Wellness Incentive - Don't Miss Out!

To earn your $500, all active employees enrolled in a City of Dallas medical plan should complete either a virtual checkup at home (Catapult Health) or an annual physical exam, including bloodwork, at your physician's office.

Two Ways to Earn the $500 Wellness Incentive

Request your Catapult Health Virtual Checkup between October 3, 2022 and June 30, 2023.

The virtual checkup consists of a biometric screening (bloodwork) and an annual physical exam from home.
Visit www.virtualcheckup.com/cod to register for a Virtual Checkup home kit. You will receive further information about the Virtual Checkup home kit in your inbox.
Complete your home kit within 7 days of receipt.
Once you complete and submit the home kit, you will receive a notification to book a virtual appointment with a Nurse Practitioner to review your kit results in more details and ask health questions. Appointment with the Nurse Practitioner must be completed by August 31, 2023.
Please contact Catapult regarding your kit at support@virtualcheckup.com or 855.509.1211.

Visit your Primary Care Physician (PCP) for an annual physical exam with blood work between September 1, 2022 and August 31, 2023.

If you have already visited your PCP since September 1, 2022:

No further action is needed if your visit included blood work. Your visit will be verified automatically.
If your visit did not include blood work, you can complete a Virtual Checkup or schedule blood work screening with your PCP before the August 31, 2023 deadline.

For questions, email citywellnesscenters@dallas.gov.

Compassion Fatigue Resources

Human and animal welfare is incredibly rewarding, and also incredibly challenging. Compassion fatigue is a common experience for animal welfare workers, but not one that we have to navigate alone. Hilary Hager, Vice President of Outreach, Engagement, and Training for the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), will join us to give a live training, typically given as part of HSUS’s Law Enforcement Training Center, on how to better combat compassion fatigue and burnout.This webinar training will cover the causes and symptoms of compassion fatigue, and provide actionable advice to shift organizational culture, improve communication around compassion fatigue, and ultimately enhance resiliency in your organization. Attendees will come away with knowledge and skills to support themselves and their organizations in reducing compassion fatigue through open communication and intentional culture shifts. Join us on Thursday, May 25 at 5 p.m. CT for this powerful training.

Earn your MPA Degree at City Hall through UTD

If you've been thinking about getting your master's degree, why not an Master of Public Affairs (MPA) from University of Texas at Dallas (UTD)?

UTD is offering an on-site MPA program this Fall (August 21 - December 16, 2023) with classes held on Mondays and Tuesdays from 6:00 - 9:00 PM.

Registration is open now and closes July 1, 2023, but don't wait! If you identify yourself as a City of Dallas employees when applying for the possibility of being awarded a scholarship through UTD.

NOTE: When applying for admission, the three-hour internship requirement will be waived for City of Dallas employees.

For more information and to register, click here.

ASO Sutherland Making a Difference in the Community

Officer Sutherland spent the morning of Saturday June 10th with a group of us from the Midway Meadows neighborhood educating them on the coyotes living and being very active in their community.

"She is a wealth of knowledge and was able to put everyone in our group at ease - including myself.

Prior to this info session (which we are informally calling Coffee and Coyotes) I and many other were unaware on how to address this issue other than wanting the city to trap and relocate them. I now feel very confident walking again in our neighborhood with my dogs and small kids - which is a huge peace of mind. My kids kept telling everyone yesterday about her and everything they learned. “Make eye contact, yell, and shake your bottle with rocks in it!”

I have no idea who Jackie’s supervisor is but please give them our highest praises. She’s a huge assets to the City of Dallas." - Susana Pérez

Shoutout to Makayla!

Makayla had a resident ask her about finding his lost dogs. He was looking around but had no luck. While he was looking Makayla was checking the daily intake report. After looking through about 12 pages she found dogs that she thought may be the correct ones. She found the resident as he was on his way out. They were his dogs! She caught him right on time and the dogs were so happy to see him. Way to go Makayla!!! - Danielle Fry

Shoutout to Maria!

Shout out to Maria for her innovative ideas! We have a goal to adopt out 100 pets this weekend. Maria had a great idea to highlight the pets that are in staff only areas and available for adoption. This way they can have a chance to be adopted too! She called them Peek a boo pets! Keep those ideas coming Maria! - Danielle Fry

Shoutout to Federico Chavez!

Federico Chavez the supervisor for lost and found did an utstanding job of manually processing all of the cash receipts for May when Chameleon was down. Multiple credit card machines were used to process credit cards, and he had to figure out what device was used. He made sure all of the funds were accounted for each day in May. His is very helpful whenever I need him to make corrections, and he didn’t hesitate to step in to make sure each cash receipt is correct. He is very patience and has a good spirit. He deserves some praise. - Lakesha Brown

Shoutout to Jasmine!

I would like to share a shoutout from one of our transfer partners. Bob with Ready 2 Rescue had mentioned how they were looking online for pets they could help from DAS. Since our online pets have not been updating, they were having a difficult time finding pets available. He was very appreciative when Jasmine offered to walk them around the shelter to find dogs to take. He said that she was so amazing and so quick at getting them the info they needed to tag. They ended up tagging quite a few! Way to go Jasmine! She saw that a partner was having trouble and found a solution to save lives! Way to keep people engaged in our lifesaving programs! - Danielle Fry

Shoutout to JT & Marquis

JT & Marquis were quick to find a solution to an ongoing problem in our laundry room. They fixed the locking mechanism on the washer, allowing for all washers and dryers to work at the same time. We appreciate the teamwork! - Mary Martin

Free FVRCP and Parvo/Distemper Clinic - 6/24 8AM - 11AM - Kleburg Park, 1575 Edd Rd, Dallas, TX 75253

Free vaccine clinic - 7/15 Dallas Animal Services 8AM - 10AM

Free FVRCP and Parvo/Distemper Vaccine Clinic 7/8 - 8AM - 11AM DAS

Spay/Neuter Mobile Clinic - June 30th 7:30AM-3PM - Spay Neuter Network

Manager (Closes 6/24)

Veterinarian (Closes 6/24)

Maddie's Fund Shelter & Rescue Support Calls

Below is a brief roundup of resources added over the past week. Learn how to become more community-centric with these free courses on Maddie’s University! Is your animal organization working to become more community-centric and need a little help? Maddie’s University now offers Human Animal Support Services (HASS) curriculum!

Learn More