It's Cuddles time!

Cuteness alert! Perfect name! Guess what Cuddles likes to do? This little cutie is happy to take up residence in your lap until your legs go numb. That will take quite some time since he's so small. Like most chihuahuas, he'll try to defend you from anyone who approaches, especially if he thinks they're about to interrupt his cuddling time. You can't blame him, because you'll want to do nothing but cuddle once you see his adorable face. It's Cuddles time! He's your Adoptable Pet for the week of May 5, 2014.

It's time to get Frisky!

It's time to have some fun! Feeling Frisky? Here's your ideal playmate. They just don't come any more handsome - or intelligent - than this happy dog. Frisky is outgoing, mild-mannered and eager to learn. He wouldn't mind a daily walk or jog around the neighborhood to keep him in shape. Don't miss your chance to meet this good-looking and Frisky Weimaraner. He's your Adoptable Pet for the week of April 28, 2014.

Hit a home run!

Batter up! This dog is a real player! Whitey Ford knows what it takes to succeed. He's ready to fit right in with your family, because he's smart, friendly and always ready to take the field. And his handsome looks make him immediately eligible for the major leagues. You'll hit a home run if you make Whitey Ford a loving member of your family. He's your Adoptable Pet for the week of April 21, 2014.

Top o' the morning to you!

Get Lucky!

There's no need to buy a lottery ticket or book a trip to Las Vegas. You'll get Lucky once you meet this gentle little dog. Go ahead and spin the wheel, because the needle is sure to end up pointing to a winning part of his charming personality. Pick a card: loyal, affectionate, outgoing, alert, happy. It's obvious that Lucky holds a winning hand. There's no gambling involved once you fall in love with this friendly four-year-old. You're an instant winner with Lucky by your side. He's your Adoptable Pet for the week of March 3, 2014.

Your patience will pay off

When you're this adorable, you can't help but be apprehensive about who you hang around with. Penny is very timid around people - especially strangers - but she's only a year old. She's learning rapidly how to build up her confidence around people. Dogs are another story! She'll dive right into playtime with a canine friend. Once you earn her trust, cute little Penny is going to be a loving and faithful friend. Just be patient! Penny is your Adoptable Pet for the week of February 24, 2014.

Lots of love for Valentine's Day!

Are you looking for "The One" this Valentine's Day? This sweet dog has a lot of love to share. Lilly is very shy, so she acts somewhat fearful when she first meets you. But that's where the love comes in. With some patience and a lot of love, Lilly will soon act like your best friend. Since she's a four-month-old yellow lab, you know what she'll be like when she grows up. Lilly is on her way to becoming a faithful, intelligent and beautiful adult. Ready to share a lot of love? Lilly is ready to be your happy partner. And now's the time to adopt! All pet adoptions are only $14 from Valentine's Day through Sunday February 16. Lilly is your Adoptable Pet for the week of February 10, 2014.

Don't miss this little dog!

Winston looks worried. He's afraid that his small size will keep you from noticing him. He knows you'll be missing out on a lot of fun if you walk by without scratching him between his ears. Winston may be a seven-pound chihuahua, but he has a huge heart. As an added bonus, he's downright cute. Don't ignore this little dog. You'll miss out on a tremendous amount of fun - and a tremendous amount of love. Winston is your Adoptable Pet for the week of February 3, 2014.

A Hollywood hunk

The Hollywood movie stars have been making news again lately. But who needs George Clooney or Robert Redford when Scout is in the house? This handsome hunk is perfect for any leading role. And, unlike a lot of those Hollywood types, Scout is a nice guy. He won't easily forget any of his lines, because he has brains to match those good looks. Take advantage of open auditions season, because you'll be the real star of the show when Scout walks down your red carpet. He's your Adoptable Pet for the week of January 13, 2014.

Need your face cleaned?

Sophia's solemn expression is masking her newfound joy. She's finished with motherhood, so she's ready for her own puppy-like playtime. Sophia is a fun-loving, exuberant dog. But her love of carefree living comes second to her desire to shower you with kisses. Get ready for lots of love when this happy dog is with you. It's a sure bet that she'll lick your face clean! Sophia simply wants you to share her love of life and her love for you. She's your Adoptable Pet for the week of January 6, 2014.

This New Year's Eve, make amazing happen!

Trudy, a one-eyed beauty, found a wonderful home last weekend at the Rockwall Petco.

This New Year’s Eve, I’m reflecting on something that may seem utterly mundane to you. Every week throughout the year, a photo appears on this blog along with others in publications throughout our area. And every week throughout the year, that photo of an adoptable dog or cat results in an adoption.

But for something so subtle, it’s the culmination of a complicated process. To be precise: You make amazing happen every week.

To start at the beginning, our mission at Rockwall Pets is to stop the killing of healthy and treatable pets by municipal animal shelters. Shelter killing is the number one cause of death for healthy animals in the United States, according to the American Humane Society. When Pam and I first started working with shelters a few years ago, it irked us that our tax dollars were being used to kill innocent animals instead of “sheltering” them. 

We decided to cut through the forest of excuses in order to find solutions. When we began, over 1,500 pets lost their lives every year in the Rockwall and Royse City shelters. That number is now less than 100 each year.

How do we do it? Our preference is to lead by example, but we’ll beg, plead and fight each shelter if we have to. That’s where it begins to get complicated.

The process begins when a shelter decides it doesn’t value the life of a homeless dog or cat. Sometimes the pet has a serious illness or injury, but in the great majority of cases, the dog or cat is perfectly healthy. After one of our volunteers agrees to act as a foster home for the pet, another volunteer goes to the shelter to fill out any paperwork necessary to rescue the pet.

The pet then goes to our veterinarian, usually Dr. Keith Webb at Pet Doctor in Rockwall, for a full round of vaccinations, a medical exam, a spay/neuter surgery and a microchip. If the pet is ill or injured, we schedule a round of medications or even a major surgery. There’s a tremendous amount of work that goes on behind the scenes, from paperwork and data entry to bill paying and food management. It’s not an exaggeration to say that each pet is backed by a virtual army.

Our team of incredibly hard-working volunteers then brings each adoptable pet to weekend events at the Rockwall Petco and at fete-ish in the Bishop Arts District in Dallas. Some of the pets get extra recognition through photos on this blog and in area publications.

And then each pet goes home to make a family very happy. It’s obviously a long and complicated journey from death row to a loving home. Amazing, isn’t it?

But that’s why we can’t do it without you. We need you to adopt our pets. We need you to join our amazing team of volunteers. And we need your financial assistance. None of us gets paid to do this. We do it because we love animals and we believe in them. We don’t have a building, so we keep these pets in our homes. We don’t receive any government funding. None of us is rich (darn it). We manage to do this strictly through individual donations from caring people like you. Our dedicated volunteer team supplies lots of effort, caring, muscle, love, time, tears and good ol’ hard work. So we need you to help with the one thing we don’t have: The necessary funds to make sure each pet is healthy (nearly three-fourths of our annual budget goes to medical care for our pets).

We think we’re upholding our end of the bargain. Leading by example, we’re demonstrating an effective way to get pets off death row and into homes. We’ve increased the number of pets we’ve adopted out by 90% over last year. And we want to do a lot more. But we need your help.

When you see a weekly photo of a pet sometime during 2014, you’ll know the whole story. We need you to help us make amazing happen.

Michael Kitkoski
Executive Director

Rockwall Pets

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Just the right amount of sass

This little dog is a true delight. Her chihuahua heritage gives her just the right amount of sass. But the Italian greyhound in her gives Sassy a sleek beauty. She has a lot of brains to go with those good looks. If you're looking for an intelligent family dog who can take care of herself, Sassy is ready to go home with you. She's your Adoptable Pet for the week of November 4, 2013.

Mr. Dependable

Meet Mr. Dependable. There's not a whole lot that bothers Rusty. He's a six-month-old with a sunny outlook on life. He's so accommodating that he doesn't mind fitting in with any activity or lifestyle. And his happy personality is simply infectious. With such a confident air at this young age, Rusty is going to grow up to be an intelligent, well-rounded and handsome adult dog. He's your Adoptable Pet for the week of October 28, 2013.

A true joy of living

Now this is a positive attitude! Kate comes by her sunny disposition naturally. She was apparently hit by a car and suffered lacerations on both rear legs. In fact, her left hind leg is still pretty sore. But that doesn't stop this adorable dog from smiling constantly. Her joy of living is positively infectious. Her only fault? She wants you to adore her as much as possible. But once you see that smiling face, you won't have any trouble giving Kate all the love and attention she deserves. She's your Adoptable Pet for the week of October 14, 2013.

Ready for action

Whee! Lily likes to feel the wind through her floppy ears as she darts around the yard. This adorable two-year-old loves to romp. But once she's tired, she'll roll over for some well-deserved belly rubs. She needs a fenced yard, because she's attracted to moving things. A car going down the street will get her immediate attention, and you don't want her chasing after it! Just make sure Lily gets plenty of exercise (a run or a long walk around the neighborhood is perfect!), and she'll be ready to give you lots of love. Lily is your Adoptable Pet for the week of September 30, 2013.

What a positive attitude!

This youngster is a happy boy. Shaggy prefers to look on the bright side of things. Want to go for a walk? Want to play? Want to take a nap? He'll be more than happy to participate. You can tell from his smiling face that his goal is to enjoy life. Shaggy is one of five terrier mixes recently abandoned at a Dallas apartment complex. Read their story at Blue Ribbon News. If you're one who always tries to maintain a positive attitude, meet your perfect companion. It's especially amazing considering what Shaggy has been through! He's your Adoptable Pet for the week of September 16, 2013.

Abandoned dogs escape troubled past

Shaggy was one of five dogs abandoned in the parking lot of a Dallas apartment complex.

Shaggy was about to abandon hope. The seven-month-old terrier mix was completely disoriented when he discovered he was marooned with four similar puppies in the parking lot of a Dallas apartment complex. Some of the dogs, like his friend Thelma, had been stuffed into a recycling bin.

Before they could get their bearings, Shaggy and the rest of the confused young dogs were whisked away to the Dallas animal shelter. Danielle Fry, the shelter’s rescue coordinator, sent out an urgent call for help. She felt the petrified dogs would fare poorly in the shelter environment.

Within minutes, Christina Arriaga, who manages the rescue operation for the nonprofit Rockwall Pets, was busy arranging foster homes for the frightened puppies. Rockwall Pets quickly notified the shelter that it would take Shaggy, Thelma and the other three abandoned dogs.

Just two days later, the smile had returned to Shaggy’s face after he discovered he and his friends were safe. Rockwall Pets is a nonprofit rescue organization dedicated to ending the killing of healthy and treatable shelter pets in north Texas. Shelter killing is the number one cause of death for healthy dogs and cats in the United States, according to the American Humane Association.

After leading local efforts to achieve No Kill status for the Rockwall and Royse City shelters, Rockwall Pets set its sights on saving the lives of shelter pets throughout north Texas, especially in Dallas. The nonprofit estimates an average of 50 healthy and/or treatable dogs and cats are killed every day at the Dallas shelter. Rockwall Pets has saved the lives of nearly 300 pets from the Dallas shelter during the past 12 months.

Dallas Animal Services conducted an investigation into the abandonment of the dogs but could find no leads.

Within a couple of days of his rescue, Shaggy was attending his first Rockwall Pets adoption event. His ever-present smile offered no clue as to the horrors he’d witnessed the previous week. He was a long way from a filthy recycling bin in the middle of a crowded parking lot. For what could be the first time in their lives, Shaggy, Thelma and the rest of their friends are experiencing the love and joy of being a puppy.

Donate today to help the abandoned dogs.

Stevie is cute

We know the word "cute" is often overused. But when it comes to Stevie, there's no way to avoid it. Everything about this young dog is cute. She has a cute way of tilting her head when listening to strange sounds. She has a cute way of walking. She has a cute leap when chasing grasshoppers. Just face it. Stevie is cute. Don't miss your chance to adopt this certified cutie! Stevie is your Adoptable Pet for the week of September 9, 2013.

A Labor Day salute...to you!

This Labor Day, we want you to know how much you're appreciated. Your work and your dedication pays off in hundreds - and soon thousands - of lives saved.

It is truly a labor of love.

Whether you adopt, donate, foster, volunteer or just urge us on, you're working to help make north Texas a true shelter for homeless pets. Sure, we have a long way to go. But we promise you that we won't stop working until every healthy and treatable pet can look forward to a happy and loving life. Your tax dollars should not be used to kill healthy and treatable pets in your municipal shelter. You deserve nothing less. The pets deserve nothing less.

Thank you for supporting our No Kill effort. Your work, your donations, your home, your love and your support means everything to these pets.

Donate today to help save even more lives. It is truly a labor of love.