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 DFW Pets are Family
Are you looking for a fun way to give back to the entire DFW community? Join us on September 9th at Fair Park for the biannual Dallas Fort Worth Pets are Family Event!
This event is a community wide partnership with Cuddly, Dallas Pets Alive, Spay Neuter Network, Operation Kindness and other organizations. We will be distributing over 20,000 lbs of dog and cat food, plus additional resources, as well as providing free vaccines.
We need twenty volunteers for food distribution, set up/clean up, manning our information table and more. It is preferred if you are able to stay for the whole event (7 AM - 2 PM), but if you are only available for a portion of the event please let us know.
Sign up for a shift using the link here.
 Clear the Shelters Event Recap
Thank you so much to everyone who helped us with the Clear the Shelters Event. All told, we had over 60 volunteers help with the event in some way - either helping assemble the adoption kits, updating kennel cards, helping clean kennels before/during the event, welcoming guests, or assisting adopters. That's not even counting those of you who helped spread the word about the event on social media or interacted with the dogs in the weeks leading up to the event to gather invaluable behavior observations.
The final tally for adoptions on Saturday was 75 - right at our goal for the day! Thank you so much for helping make this a successful Clear the Shelter Event.
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Doggie Daycations
No matter how much enrichment and socialization we provide, life in a shelter is stressful for pets. That's why we are excited to offer our Doggie Daycation Program, which provides volunteers the opportunity to take DAS dogs for a day trip!
Dogs on Daycations can go to any dog-friendly locations (such as parks, patio dining restaurants, running or hiking trails, etc.). These daycations are also an opportunity to gather valuable media content and behavior observations outside of the shelter.
For the month of September, we are offering Daycations on a very limited schedule as we slowly roll out the program. We hope to open it up further to additional shifts in October or November!
To sign up, click the link here!
Note: Canine Handling Training is required for this position.
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Tik Tok Volunteer for FODAS
Our non-profit partner, Friends of Dallas Animal Services, is looking for a volunteer who can help them create Tik Tok content. If you are savy on social media and interested in helping out, please email us at DASVolunteer@dallas.gov!
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 Playgroup Runner
Interested in learning more about dog behavior? Sign up to work as a Playgroup Runner! This position involves moving dogs between their kennels and the play yards for assessment and playgroups.
Our playgroup team needs the most help on Friday, Sunday, and Monday. To sign up as a playgroup runner, click the link here!
Note: Canine Handling Training is required for this position.
Kitten Nursery
Are you a cat lover? Are you not currently a cat lover, but looking to learn more about our Feline friends? Sign up for a Kitten Nursery shift today!
You do not need your 4 hours or Feline Handling training to sign up for this position, but you do need to complete the 7 part kitten nursery training on My Impact. Here is the link to the first video.
If you've already completed the nursery training, you can sign up for a shift here! Our most needed shifts at this time are shifts in the evening after 6 PM.
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Treats!
We are in need of more treats for enrichment, click for calm, and dog walking! If you are able, please consider bringing in a few bags of treats during your next shift.
You can also purchase treats from our Amazon wish-list here and have them shipped directly to DAS. Thank you!
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Volunteer Town Hall - New Facility Proposal
We will be having a Town Hall on next Tuesday, September 5th at 6 PM to discuss the DAS new facility proposal. If you have any questions or would like to help push the proposal through, please be sure to join the meeting using the information below:
Click here to join the meeting
Meeting ID: 283 250 365 01
Passcode: fbqfSm
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Volunteer Meetup at Oso Climbing Gym
We are going to do something different for September's volunteer meet-up! This month, we will be going to Oso Climbing Gym on September 16th from 4-6 PM. This event won't be dog friendly, but we will be reserving a space to meet-up, and for those that would like to climb day passes will be available at a discounted rate of $15 per person.
The event has also been posted in the Volunteer Facebook group with a page to RSVP. If you are interested in attending and not part of the D90 Facebook group, please use the link here to RSVP.
Volunteer Shout Out!
Every newsletter we try to randomly select an active volunteer to recognize for all of their hard work! This month, we would like to shout out Kat Rauzi (pictured with Lefty at the Clear the Shelter event) who has been with DAS since July of 2022.
Do you have any pets at home?
Yes I do; Vito is a rescue (of course!) and we have had him for 8 years. He is a Shar Pei / Pittie mix. Interesting story - Pat Rodriguez, a DAS volunteer and longtime volunteer/advocate for Dallas animals in need - rescued our other dog Cin Cin who passed away in 2021 after a long and happy life. When I rescued Vito (rescue name Monroe) and shared him on Facebook, Pat messaged me to let me know she had rescued Vito off the streets in her neighborhood - such a small world. I consider Pat my Fairy Rescue Dog Mother.
What is your favorite volunteer position?
It's hard to choose one! I love dog walking because I love interacting with the dogs and giving them time out of the kennel to stretch their legs, do their potty business and play; dog walking also let's me get to know the dog's personality and behaviors and take some good photos and videos to share on social media. Canine adoption assistant is another favorite because who doesn't love being a part of helping a wonderful DAS doggo find a good family and home and educating potential adopters on what to expect and how to slowly integrate a new dog into their home (3/3/3 Rule!). Last but not least - kennel care - I never thought I would actually like doing this however when you get to clean up a kennel and see how happy it makes the dog to have a clean kennel / safe place - it's worth the stinkiness lol.
What is your favorite part about volunteering at DAS?
Well interacting with the dogs of course - they bring me so much joy and I want to give to all the dogs as much as I can. Another favorite part has been getting to know the DAS staff - they are wonderful and make me smile every time I am there - they work so hard and anytime I can help them - I want to do just that. Billy, Stephanie, Sergio, Danny and all the staff just make my day when I volunteer - I love giving them fist bumps, hugs, high fives and just chatting while taking care of the dogs.
Do you have a favorite DAS story to share?
Hmmmm so hard to choose a favorite. I think one of my favorite canine adoption assistant stories is several months ago when I fell absolutely in love with a dog named Waffles (lol) - he was a big but gentle / loving pittie mix with the cutest face and when I took him to the yard he was just amazing - buried his head into me - gentle and calm yet also playful. It was a busy day and this one family (mom, dad and sweet little girl) asked me if they could see a dog and I had to say "yes however I need to do another meet and greet and then I will find you". I was pulled in several directions however this family was patient - when I found them they were standing in front of Waffles kennel and I was so happy - I took them out the yard with Waffles and he was a perfect gentleman and very sweet and gentle with the little girl who was shy. The dad said he wanted a bigger dog to be a good protector of his little girl but gentle enough and Waffles was PERFECT - they adopted him and I was so happy because it seemed to be a wonderful match and I was so happy that I found Waffles his family.
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Welcome New Volunteers!
Welcome all of the new volunteers who have joined us since the last newsletter!
Kelsey F. | Andrea A.G. | Devon M. | Aubri M. | Nicole E. | Aaron K. | Beth K. | Angelina R. | Arlene A. | Nate B. | Gretchen B. | Rebecca B. | Katie C. | Gwendalyn F. | Rob H. | Karime V. | Levi B. | Christine K. | Kate D. | Kaylee G. | Kimberly V. | Simon A. | Rulissa C. | Megan G. | Shamedra H. | Sara M. | Brooke R. | Liz S. | Veronica W. | Daniel E. | Beau F. | Mary T. | Missy P. | Daniel T.
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