New DAS Volunteer Coordinator
Hello everyone! My name is Katie, and I’m originally from Houston, Texas. I moved to Dallas almost five years ago to attend Southern Methodist University, and after graduating, I knew I wanted to make this great city my permanent home. During my time at SMU, I had the opportunity to volunteer at Dallas Animal Services as well as several other shelters across the DFW area.
Fun fact: I’ve cared for over twenty different species of animals, ranging from livestock to reptiles! I currently have one dog at home, Stetson, who just turned five months old.
I’d like to thank you all for the warm welcomes and your patience as I transition from the foster team into my new volunteer role. Having spent a few months at DAS already, I’ve witnessed the love and dedication you all have for the animals, and I’m excited to be part of it. I’m looking forward to getting to know each of you as I help service this team!
Feel free to reach out to me at the volunteer inbox (DASVolunteer@dallas.gov), at my personal email (kathryn.barlow@dallascityhall.com), or through the volunteer coordinator phone number at (214) 412-4592.
New Marketing Coordinator
Hello everyone! My name is Anthony “Tony” Zuniga, and I was born and raised in Mesquite, Texas. I originally went to Stephen F. Austin State University to become a teacher but my passion for animals/wildlife and the outdoors led me to work in the public sector. I recently moved back to Texas after living in Colorado for 6 years where I worked for Colorado Parks and Wildlife. I’m excited to be working with a group of volunteers and staff who show a true dedication to animal welfare.
CIRDC Updates
Right now, the Green Pod, room 8, and 12 are our "unexposed" portions of the building, where we are housing our new population. The VIP hallway, Blue Pod, Yellow Pod, and Rooms 9 and 13, house our population that has previously been "exposed". When bringing a dog out for a dog walk or to the yard for a meet & greet, please only utilize the closest yard that is in the same category (exposed v unexposed). Green Pod and Rooms 8 and 12 should only utilize the yard attached to those rooms.
Volunteers can use Play Yard 10 for the dogs in Room 10. Since this is an isolation room, the yard has been prepped with tarps to minimize the spread of any disease into other yards. This yard should be used last, and volunteers will not be able to enter any other rooms after using Play Yard 10. Rooms 14 and 15 will not participate, as accessing the yard would require the dogs to travel outside their rooms and through other areas.
For Meet & Greets and dog walking, we want to start with the unexposed population first - rooms Green, 8, &12. From there, meeting or walking any of the dogs in VIP, Blue, Yellow, 9 or 13. As a last stop - if someone wants to meet or interact with a dog in rooms 10, 14 or 15 - the public or volunteers can put on PPE and visit those rooms. For the public, kennel side meet & greets in rooms 14 and 15 only. For room 10, we can utilize the room 10 yard for meet and greets as long as the symptoms are not severe. After visiting one of the isolation rooms, volunteers & the public should leave and should not return to any of the non-isolation kennels.
Please note, there may be some pets in the "exposed" rooms that are currently undergoing treatment but haven't been moved to isolation yet. For any pets in the building that have a kennel card stating, "Undergoing Treatment", please follow the meet & greet policies regarding isolation pets (kennel side interactions only).
Volunteer Appreciation Week
We are truly grateful for the dedication and passion of our volunteers at DAS. Your hard work makes a real difference in the lives of our pets and the success of our mission. The impact you have is immeasurable, and we are so fortunate to have you as part of our team. Thank you for your unwavering support—we deeply appreciate all you do!
To show our appreciation, we’re excited to host a raffle during Volunteer Appreciation Week, from April 20th to April 26th. Every active volunteer will be entered to win a prize Sunday through Friday. On Saturday, volunteers who’ve contributed during the week will be entered into a special drawing for even more chances to win!
To wrap up the week, we’d love for you to join us on April 26th at 6pm at Mutts Cantina for an evening of fun, laughter, and celebration. It’s a chance to connect with fellow volunteers! Please RSVP here to let us know you'll be joining us.
Thank you again for everything — we can’t wait to celebrate with you!
|
