City of Dallas, TX

04/03/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/03/2025 11:33

DAS Volunteer Newsletter - April 3rd, 2025

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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 ([email protected]), at my personal email ([email protected]), 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.

Feel free to reach out to me through the PIO inbox, [email protected], or my email, [email protected].

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!

Mega Adoption Event

Dallas Animal Services is excited to join several animal shelters and rescues across the DFW Metroplex for the Mega Adoption Event on Saturday, April 5th, and Sunday, April 6th. This is a huge event, with DAS bringing 100 dogs-50 from the shelter and 50 from foster homes-looking for their forever homes!

Volunteers are needed to assist with meet and greets, clean kennels, and supporting staff members. The shift we are most in need for additional volunteers is Saturday April 5th from 11am to 2:30pm. Canine Handling training is required. Please sign up for a shift here.

Additionally, volunteers are needed for Mega Preparation on April 4th and for clean-up on April 6th. We'll need 2-4 volunteers each day to assist with lifting and moving supplies and crates to their designated areas. This opportunity is open to all, and you can sign up on My Impact.

Kitten Nursery-Now Open

The nurseryofficially opened on April 1st! Our dedicated staff members will be caring for kittens around the clock. Volunteer shifts will open a little bit later on April 15th. During the first week or two, we may not have many kittens in the nursery, so by holding off a few weeks it will help ensure there are kittens ready for feeding during your shift.

Feline handling training will not be required to sign up, but volunteers will need to watch 7 prerecorded videos on My Impact, beginning with 'Introduction to Kittens.' During your first shift as a kitten nurseryhelper, the staff will guide you through our current feeding protocols!

Kitten Nursery Supplies

As kittens start to arrive at our facility, and we need your help to make sure they're fully equipped! You can support our little ones by browsing our Kitten Nursery Amazon Wishlist, donating essential items, or simply sharing the list with others

Toy Collection

We are looking for a volunteer to help collect donated tennis balls on a monthly basis from a generous sports club in Dallas, located off Preston Road. If you're interested in volunteering in this opportunity, please email [email protected].

Dog Walking Tracker

In the coming months, DAS will be moving to a new kennel side tracker. Please stay tuned for more information to be provided soon. For now, the 'Who Let the Dogs Out' form will be disabled. We appreciate your understanding during this transition.

Volunteer Town Hall

Join us (virtually) for our upcoming volunteer town hall on April 16th at 6pm. During this meeting, we will go over important updates, upcoming events, and volunteer opportunities. Afterwards, we will host a Q&A for you to bring your questions and concerns to our attention.

If you have any questions you would like to submit in advance, please email us at [email protected] by April 16th at 10 AM.We are always grateful for your feedback and ideas!

Click here to join.

Meeting ID: 238 084 808 240

Passcode: nT2H7V4

Volunteer Shout Out!

Every newsletterwe try to randomly select an active volunteer to recognize for all of their hard work! This month, we would like to shout out Sanskrithi Krish. Thank you for everything you do as a volunteer.

Do you have any pets at home?

Not currently, I'm still unwaveringly loyal to my childhood dog, Chuy, who lives a better life than I do in Austin with my parents! I'm also a proud Aunt to Beanie (pictured with me), who definitely loves me because I'm great and not because she associates me with double the treats she normally gets. I can definitely see myself becoming a foster fail in my near future, though!

What is your favorite volunteer position?

Daycation helper! I love getting the pups ready for a fun day out!

What is your favorite part about volunteering with DAS?

It's a three-way tie between sitting inside a VIP kennel with a dog, giving a cat some good scratches behind the ear, meeting other people who love the animals here just as much as I do!

Do you have a favorite DAS story to share?

I saw a dog that I harnessed up for a daycation while I was on the Katy Trail! It was honestly such a cute moment to see him having such a great time out on the town!

Welcome New Volunteers!

Welcome all of the new volunteers who have joined us since the last newsletter!

Stephanie C.| Kristen C. | Briana J. | Anastasia. | Dennis S.| Eli S.| Ana T.| Alejandra A.| Izabele B.| Megan F.| Parker H.| Avery M.| Deserey M.| Gregory M.| Anna O.| Gia S.| Cherie W.| Russell W.| Faiaz A.| Cheslie D.| Sydney L.| Amanda M.| Shane S.| Kendall S.| Analyse W.| Manana B.| Cassandra D.| Isabella D.| Archer G.| Marianne G.| Gigi G.| Barrett P.| Sally Z.| Divija C.| Kate C.| Dorian G.| Ashley M.| Sonya M.| Llyria S.| Chelsae W.| Colin W.| Danielle A.| Jill A.| Matilde A.F.| Luke A.| Carol C.| Danielle G.| Brandon J.| Kourtney M.| Itzel O.| Ryne R.| Anna T.| Fernanda Z.| Rachel C.| Belle S.| Yahia A.| Danielle D.| Jennifer G.| Kyle H.| Debanhi O.| Luke R.| Jesse W.|

Dallas Animal Services, 1818 N Westmoreland, Dallas, TX 75212 | Website
Contact: [email protected]

City of Dallas, TX published this content on April 03, 2025, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on April 03, 2025 at 17:33 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]