Living a happier life

Get ready for a lovefest! If you're looking for some affection and happiness, meet Frank. That's all he wants out of life. At eight years old, he's done with his rambunctious early life. He's ready to settle down into a life of leisure. With all that love and all those smiles between you, you'll make quite a duo. Put your life on a happier plane by making Frank a member of your family. He's your Adoptable Pet for the week of May 12, 2014.

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.

Uno is truly unique

Uno is truly a one-of-a-kind dog. His happy nature makes him a special family companion. His wiry coat and compact size make him adorable. And his intelligence and eagerness to learn make him an attentive student. Add in his natural playfulness, and that adds up to a unique combination. Make Uno a member of your family, and you'll be the one who feels special. He's your Adoptable Pet for the week of March 31, 2014.

Meet the zen master

Cuteness alert! Tex is only three months old, but he's already mastered the art of relaxing. To be sure, he loves to romp like any young puppy. But pick him up and he'll quickly settle into your arms like a soft pillow. He'll be content to relax and cuddle for hours. As an added bonus, his adorable face is simply priceless. Once you make Tex a member of your family, he'll entice you to join him for a daily routine of relaxation and love. He's your Adoptable Pet for the week of March 17, 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.

All hail the Princess!

She's glamorous enough to be considered royalty. But this is one Princess who won't act like she's better than you. In fact, once you experience the love coming from this little four-year-old, you'll think Princess is here just to serve you. She's a cocker spaniel mix who's impossibly sweet and adorable. Once you make Princess a member of your family, you'll be the one who'll feel like royalty! She's your Adoptable Pet for the week of January 27, 2014.

Lakeside area leads nation in animal welfare

(This article was published in the neighborsgo section of the January 3, 2014 edition of the Dallas Morning News. It was written by Rockwall Pets Executive Director Michael Kitkoski.)

Communities surrounding Lake Ray Hubbard continued to be national leaders in animal shelter reform during 2013. The No Kill advocacy that Rockwall Pets began in 2010 is beginning to pay off in a big way. Nearly 2,000 additional shelter pets were adopted in Rockwall County during 2013 compared to four years ago. During that same period, the number of pets killed in animal shelters nationwide fell from around four million per year to 2.7 million, according to the Humane Society of the United States. That’s an improvement of over 25 percent in a brief time.

How is our area leading the way? After Rockwall Pets worked with city officials, Rockwall joined Seagoville in establishing our area’s first No Kill municipal shelters in 2011. Carl Alsabrook, the city manager in Royse City, jumped on board in 2012. Rockwall County killed nearly 60% of every animal in its care five years ago, but now saves the lives of over 95%. (The term “No Kill” means returning “euthanasia” to its dictionary definition. Gravely ill and overly aggressive pets should be euthanized. Killing healthy and treatable pets is just that: killing.)

We spent much of 2013 working with the Rowlett and Dallas shelters. With some urging from its citizens and government officials, the Rowlett shelter is poised to join the ranks of area No Kill shelters during 2014. Of the nearly 500 shelter pets rescued by Rockwall Pets last year, about 100 came from Rowlett.

How did we get here? Everyone at Rockwall Pets believes it’s time for our animal shelters to reflect our values as Americans. According to Forbes magazine, Americans spent over $50 billion on our pets during 2011. That’s more than we spend on videos, music and video games combined. We Americans obviously love our pets.

Animal sheltering began in the late 1800s when Americans used animals as working stock. Many animals were worked literally to death while others were routinely rounded up and killed. Following World War II, Americans began keeping pets in our new suburban backyards. Then, as the year 2000 approached, many of us began inviting our dogs and cats to sleep with us. During those 150 years, pets went from our barnyards to our backyards to our bedrooms, yet our animal shelters never changed.

During the 1970s, shelters began blaming the “irresponsible public” for what they called “pet overpopulation.” But 2.7 million pets died in shelters last year even though 17 million American families were looking to adopt. That’s a marketing problem, not pet overpopulation. And I believe that most of us are good people. The HSUS estimates that 83% of owned dogs and 91% of owned cats have been spayed or neutered compared to around 10% in the 1970s. That’s what I call a responsible public.

That’s why our dream is to spread our No Kill mission from Lake Ray Hubbard to all of north Texas. It’s time our animal shelters shared the compassionate values of pet-loving Americans.

Happy New Year!

Our 2014 promise to you:

We'll make this the best year ever for the homeless pets of north Texas.

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

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.

This is one happy boy!

Lenny is usually smiling because he's proud to be unique. With that wiry coat and that happy face, he's very much a terrier mix. But he's not your usual little lap dog. Lenny weighs nearly 60 pounds, so he has more of the laid back traits of larger dogs. You get the best of both worlds with this unique dog: His size makes him the perfect exercise partner or family companion. But his terrier heritage makes him look happy and - dare we say it - cute! Lenny is your Adoptable Pet for the week of October 7, 2013.

A magical attraction

Prepared to be charmed. When you're in the presence of this delightful dog, you'll feel an almost magical attraction. Buttercup is super friendly, very beautiful, unfailingly mellow and ultra-sweet. You won't find a more faithful partner in life. Once you meet this special dog, you'll soon see past her beauty to her loving personality. That's when you'll be charmed. Buttercup is your Adoptable Pet for the week of August 19, 2013.

Have a Lovely day

Perfect name. Take one look at this precious puppy, and you’ll think she’s Lovely too. She’s always happy and friendly, which means she’ll fit in well with any family. And she’s already showing signs of great intelligence, which means she’s easily trainable. Start your morning by looking at that cute face, and you’ll know it’s a Lovely day. Lovely is your Adoptable Pet for the week of August 12, 2013.

Small dog. Big personality.

They just don't come any cuter. And you won't find a happier puppy. Heidi is a Rottweiler or Min Pin mix who looks like she's going to be a relatively small dog. She's about three months old right now, and she only weighs 12 pounds. She may be small, but she has a big personality! Don't hesitate before you meet this sweet little dog. Once you discover how adorable she is, you'll fall in love with Heidi in no time! She your Adoptable Pet for the week of August 5, 2013.

Are you ready to live the Posh life?

Have you been looking for that perfect accessory? Does your outfit look really good on you, but something still doesn't seem quite right? Posh is here to help. Her neutral color complements everything in your closet. Her bright smile will make you look even better. And her happy outlook on life will make you feel like a million bucks. Ask any fashion guru. Posh is what you need to make your look complete. She's your Adoptable Pet for the week of July 29, 2013.

Show us your man card

If you'd like to enter this exclusive club, please show your man card at the door. Diesel has his reputation to protect. He can't be seen with just anyone on the end of the leash. When you're this ruggedly handsome, you deserve the right to protect your image. His posse is protective of him, because Diesel is a happy-go-lucky kind of dog. He prefers some playtime or some vigorous exercise followed by lots of time to chill. If you're man enough for him, apply to be Diesel's posse leader today. Just show your credentials at the door. He's your Adoptable Pet for the week of July 22, 2013.

Are you the special person for this special dog?

This special dog is looking for a special family. Delilah is still an excitable puppy in many ways, so she loves to run, play and go for long walks. It's incredible, because she only has three legs. Due to a birth defect, she recently had her front right leg removed. That didn't slow her down in the least. She's still very afraid around strangers and new experiences, but a loving touch soon calms her down. Delilah is already on her way toward becoming an intelligent, loving and gorgeous adult. She just needs a special family to take her the rest of the way. Delilah is your Rockwall Adoptable Pet for the week of May 20, 2013.

Your adventure begins here

This adorable dog is ready to explore the fastest way to your heart. Since Cousteau is eight years old, he knows how to be a loving family companion. If you're a schnauzer fanatic, you know exactly what you're getting with this adorable dog: He's friendly, loving and energetic. If you've been on your own expedition for a wonderful family dog, you'll feel like you've struck gold with Cousteau. He's your Rockwall Adoptable Pet for the week of May 13, 2013.

Life in the slow lane

With the Rockwall Farmers Market opening this Saturday and Cinco de Mayo on Sunday, it's going to be an excting week for this foxy little dog. Foxy has reason to celebrate, because she has style and glamor without the diva issues. Since she's eight years old, she's looking for a mellow relationship. If you need to relax, join Foxy in the slow lane during this busy week. She's your Rockwall Adoptable Pet for the week of April 29, 2013.