Small dog - lots of sweetness

Nala is a mini Aussie, a breed famous for having a sixth sense about what their owners want since they crave attention and praise. She is downright adorable and unbelieveably sweet. Nala is about as intelligent as they come. Don't miss your chance to meet this beautiful dog today! Nala is your Rockwall Adoptable Pet for the week of June 25, 2012.

What a week! Thank you for saving lives!

Nugget goes home.

An open love letter from Michael Kitkoski:


Do you realize what happened last week?


Nugget, a heartworm-positive chihuahua with completely rotten teeth, found a great home.


Ella, who came close to death after she contracted parvo at the Royse City animal shelter, was adopted.


Xena the kitten, who was rejected by the Rockwall shelter because she was in horrible condition, had a huge abscess removed from her belly and is recovering under the watchful eye of Kathleen Hanrahan.


Four puppies, saved from certain death by Stephanie Russell and Cindy Herndon, continue to recover from sarcoptic mange while being fostered by Beth Cansler.


Two FiV-positive kittens fostered by Crissi Rakich found a good home.


And Nora, one of four parvo-stricken puppies saved by Barbara Seed, went to a wonderful home.


Add all that to our weekly routine - taking ill pets to Dr. Webb at Pet Doctor, taking pets for vetting to the Kaufman County Animal Awareness Project, rescuing pets from area shelters, taking care of the pets in our homes, volunteering for several adoption events each week - and that's a lot of lifesaving in one week!


Please consider this an open love letter to you to honor what you do for these precious animals. You're obviously making a tremendous difference in the lives of these pets.


It matters if you rescue pets or pull from shelters. It matters if you take these pets into your home and care for them. It matters if you do a KCAAP run. It matters if you help the pets find homes at adoption events. It matters if you organize fundraising events. It matters if you donate. It matters if you say a little prayer for the pets.


It really matters.


It also matters that you're sticking with it. I know it wasn't easy to travel the bumpy road as we retooled Rockwall Pets into a rescue group. But now we're beginning to hit our stride. We began rescuing pets from the Royse City shelter on April 2, so that's when our volume began to increase.


In just two-and-a-half months, you've sent over 50 pets to wonderful homes (see for yourself!). At that pace, we're going to surpass the 500 additional lives that were saved last year by making the Rockwall shelter No Kill. That means you're making a huge difference.


All I can say - and all these pets can say - is thank you.


And on a personal note, saving lives may be hard work, but it's a heckuva lot of fun! Nora licked me as she was going home yesterday, and I darned near broke down and cried. This is so worth it!

Peanut loves The Partridge Family!

It's been 40 years since the Partridge Family sang, "Come one, get happy!" But that's still Peanut's theme song. This agreeable little dog is happy to follow you anywhere. Since he's a chihuahua, he can be headstrong, so he's always looking for ways to sneak out of your yard or get a little snippy. Just make sure you have a good fence and let him know you're the pack leader, and Peanut will be happy to share lots of love with you and your family! He's your Rockwall Adoptable Pet for the week of June 18, 2012.

We bow before the warrior princess!

Xena! Such a big name for a tiny kitten! She came to the Rockwall shelter this week in pitiful condition. She was coated in an oily substance, covered with hundreds of fleas, and she was unable to walk. It turns out she had a huge abscess on her stomach. We've patched her up, cleaned her up and gotten rid of all the fleas. Someone said she fought through all this like a warrior, so Xena was born! She'll be ready for adoption soon!

We celebrate an anniversary

Two years ago this week, a dream became reality.

Our web site, rockwallpets.com, launched on June 8, 2010. It began simply as a showcase for the adoptable animals at the Rockwall shelter. About a week later, on June 18, 2010, two Rockwall Pets volunteers hosted their first weekly offsite adoption event at the Rockwall Petco.

That small beginning has blossomed into a No Kill effort that’s spreading across North Texas just two years later.

The Rockwall shelter was killing over 40% of the animals it received two years ago today. For the last six months, between 98-99% of the animals got out of the shelter alive.

What began as Find-a-Friend Fridays two years ago has grown into multiple offsite events every weekend. And what began as a two-person operation a couple of years ago has turned into a growing nonprofit rescue group that is on its way toward making all of Rockwall County a No Kill zone.

And that’s not all. Our sister organization, Dallas Pets Alive!, is about to begin saving lives in a big way over in Big D.

We couldn’t have done any of this without you. Your donations, your volunteer hours and your love of your foster pets is the lifeblood of Rockwall Pets. And we would be remiss in failing to recognize two City of Rockwall employees who were instrumental in making their facility No Kill. Sadly, Jeffrey Widmer and Juan Hernandez are no longer at the shelter, but the animals are still benefiting from their contributions.

We’re proud to look back over the past two years to see what’s been accomplished. But we’re humbled by the mountain that’s left to climb. We will not rest until all of the United States achieves No Kill. We have no doubt that it will happen in our lifetime.

Keep donating. Keep volunteering. Keep fostering. Keep these wonderful pets alive.

Photo: Nicole Nickel looks at a kitten during the first Rockwall Pets offsite adoption event on June 18, 2010.

A Nugget worth his weight in gold

It's another cuteness alert! Nugget is tiny! He weighs only 3.5 pounds. But he's loaded with personality! He's not your typical chihuahua, since he's friendly and quiet. He tested as heartworm positive when we rescued him, but we're already treating him for that. He also didn't lead the happiest of lives during his first four-or-so years, because his teeth are rotten and need to be pulled. But so what if he has to eat soft food? He's an extra-special little dog who'll love you for the rest of his life! Nugget is your Rockwall Adoptable Pet for the week of June 11, 2012.

Cuteness alert!

It's that time of year! We call it Kitten Season, when momma cats begin giving birth to litters of adorable youngsters. Since our kittens are finally old enough to be fully vaccinated and altered, this weekend will mark their adoption debut. We have little ones of all shapes, colors and sizes. And, of course, they're all impossibly cute. Suffice it to say that our adoption events this weekend will be under a full-fledged cuteness warning! The kittens are your Rockwall Adoptable Pets for the week of June 4, 2012.