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

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.

Rockwall Pets reaches gold level with GuideStar

Rockwall Pets recently received the GuideStar Exchange Gold participation level, a leading symbol of transparency and accountability provided by GuideStar USA, Inc., the premier source of nonprofit information. This level demonstrates Rockwall Pets' deep commitment to nonprofit transparency and accountability.

"We’ve worked hard to showcase our progress toward our mission and our long-held belief in being completely transparent about our work to our adopters and donors," said Michael Kitkoski, executive director of Rockwall Pets. "As a GuideStar Exchange participant, we use their platform to share a wealth of up-to-date information about our lifesaving mission to our supporters along with GuideStar's immense online audience of nonprofits, grant makers, individual donors and the media."

In order to be awarded the GuideStar Exchange logo, Rockwall Pets was required to submit all nonprofit information on guidestar.org to achieve the Gold level of participation.

"I encourage you to check out our profile on GuideStar to see what we're all about," added Mr. Kitkoski. "We’re engaged in saving the lives of so many shelter pets in north Texas, and we’re thrilled to have another platform for communicating our advancement and progress."

About the GuideStar Exchange

The GuideStar Exchange is an initiative designed to connect nonprofits with current and potential supporters. With millions of people coming to GuideStar to learn more about nonprofit organizations, the GuideStar Exchange allows nonprofits to share a wealth of up-to-date information with GuideStar's many audiences. Becoming a GuideStar Exchange participant is free of charge.

To join, organizations need to update their report pages, completing all required fields for participation. The GuideStar Exchange level logos, acknowledged as symbols of transparency in the nonprofit sector, are displayed on all Exchange participants' nonprofit reports.

About Rockwall Pets

Rockwall Pets is a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending the killing of healthy shelter pets nationwide. Shelter killing is the number one cause of death for healthy dogs and cats in the United States, according to the American Humane Association. Rockwall Pets rescues animals at risk of dying in area animal shelters. The organization’s volunteers give the rescued pets full veterinary care and find them a permanent home.

The nonprofit recently joined the Rockwall Area Chamber of Commerce. Michael Kitkoski was a winner of the Henry Bergh Leadership Award from the No Kill Advocacy Center in 2011 for his work with the Rockwall shelter.

More information:

Rockwall Pets: http://rockwallpets.com

GuideStar USA: http://www.guidestar.org

Today marks one full year of lifesaving!

Thanks to you, we're celebrating! Here's Brooklyn standing outside the Royse City animal shelter on April 2, 2012. We rescued four dogs and two cats that day, completing our transition from a shelter volunteer/advocacy group to a full-fledged No Kill rescue. Your support over the past year allowed us to save the lives of nearly 450 pets, and we're on track to double that this year. Thank you!

Looking ahead to 2013

Bear was one of the first pets rescued by Rockwall Pets in 2013.
The heartworm-positive shepherd mix was rescued from the Dallas shelter on January 2.

This interview with Michael Kitkoski of Rockwall Pets appeared in the January 4, 2013 edition of neighborsgo in the Dallas Morning News.

What are the greatest challenges and opportunities you anticipate for animal shelters in 2013?

The most critical concern for any retail-like business is location. That puts most animal shelters at a disadvantage, since they're generally located in out-of-the-way areas. We've proven in Rockwall, Seagoville, Austin and the other 200-plus no-kill cities and towns across the nation that taking the pets to the people - by doing adoption events at places like Petco and PetSmart - increases pet adoptions.

How will 2013 differ from 2012?

Most Americans are now aware that the facilities they thought of as "shelters" kill a lot of healthy and adoptable pets. Shelter killing is the No. 1 cause of death for healthy dogs and cats in America. In a recent AP poll, three-fourths of Americans said they didn't want their tax dollars used to kill healthy pets in shelters. So the mindset is changing. The Dallas shelter, for instance, has been making tremendous progress under the leadership of Jody Jones. If Dallas continues to improve during 2013, it won't be long before it's the largest no-kill city in the nation.

What are some goals for your organization this upcoming year?

We have an ambitious goal: To double the number of adoptions we did this year. Since nearly every pet rescued by Rockwall Pets was in danger of being killed at an area shelter, that means we're doubling the number of lives saved. Our mission is to save every life we possibly can.

What are the main needs your organization will face in 2013, and how can community members help?

Until we can purchase our own facility, we always need more foster homes and volunteers. As we expand, we're also looking for more local businesses that are willing to host adoption events on a regular basis. And donations, of course, are always needed and welcome. If a fundraising expert wanted to volunteer to help us, it would be a festive occasion!

What growth and development would you like to see in the animal shelter community in the coming year?

The old shelter business model, which was based on the killing of healthy pets to make space, is gradually giving way to the more compassionate lifesaving model. It's about time, since the old method has been in place for about 150 years! The Dallas shelter has nearly doubled its save rate in one year; it was 26% in September 2011 and 43% this year. There's still a long way to go, but they're making substantial progress. It's time for other North Texas shelters to follow that lead.

What important pet- or animal-related issues should residents be most aware of in the coming year?

Forbes magazine recently documented that the pet business is now one of the largest industries in the United States. Americans spent $50 billion on our pets during 2011, which is more than movies, music and video games combined. It's obvious that Americans love our pets.

What factors are most important to consider for those who want to adopt an animal in 2013, and during the winter months?

Consider adopting instead of buying a pet. When someone adopts a pet from Rockwall Pets, they're not only saving a life, they're getting a pet who's had full veterinary care, including spay/neuter, vaccinations and testing. Puppy mills and backyard breeders, on the other hand, often keep their pets in deplorable conditions. Nearly 17 million American families are looking for a new pet each year, while four million adoptable pets are killed in shelters annually. Do the math. If only a fourth of those families would adopt a shelter dog or a rescue cat instead of buying from a puppy mill, we would end shelter killing. And that would mean a happy New Year for all of us.

These two dogs don't deserve to die

Rockwall's No Kill animal shelter is threatening to kill Jazzy and Ace this Friday. Their crime? They're not cute and cuddly. Ace, who's been in the Rockwall shelter since October, is a very handsome dog. He's just particular about who he gets along with. If he trusts you, he's your friend for life.


Jazzy hasn't been in the shelter as long as Ace, but she was held in a padlocked kennel for quite some time. This beautiful dog is very timid, especially around strangers. She's what we call a "one-family dog." It will take time to earn her confidence, but she'll stick with you through thick and thin. Just don't expect her to be friendly to anyone but you.


After all they've been through, we're not quite sure why they're suddenly on the fast track to death, especially in a shelter that recently celebrated 12 months as a No Kill facility. These two dogs don't deserve to die. Please contact the Rockwall shelter to foster, to adopt, to train, to do anything but let them die.

This dog is eggs-actly what you need for a Happy Easter

You've got to see this dog in action! Tiger still has a lot of puppy in him, so he's very playful. But he's about as friendly a dog as you'd ever hope to meet. He's outgoing and smart as a whip. Tiger may cherish his playtime, but he's ready to make you happy. And did we mention he's downright cute? It will be the happiest Easter ever when Tiger's smile lights up your house! He's your Rockwall Adoptable Pet for the week of April 2, 2012.

This Cutie is Number One!

They just don't come much cuter than this. Zero is an adorable eight-month-old border collie mix. Like any border collie, he's very intelligent and trainable. Just make sure he has something to do during the day to keep him occupied. We're not sure how he got his name, but Zero is Number One in our book! He's your Rockwall Adoptable Shelter Pet for the week of March 26, 2012.

Double your pleasure! Double your fun!

No, you aren't seeing double. Moon and Sky are identical twins. These fun-loving brothers are still on the young side, so they love to romp! They're both as intelligent as they are handsome, so they'll pick up on obedience training in a hurry. Moon and Sky are so friendly that one meeting with them will send you into orbit! They're your Rockwall Adoptable Pets for the week of March 19, 2012.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Anna has it covered

How picky are you? Anna is up to the challenge. She's sure she can overcome any obstacle you throw in front of her. You want smart? You want friendly? You want trusting? You want cuddly? You want happy? Anna has all those bases covered. Need we go on? Come out to meet this wonderful dog today! Anna is your Rockwall Adoptable Shelter Pet for the week of March 12, 2012.

Stuck on you

"Love me tender." Elvis can't help falling in love, so he's been patiently waiting for you. He's a red heeler who's intelligent and outgoing. And his good looks are guaranteed to get you all shook up. Are you lonesome tonight? Visit Elvis at the Rockwall shelter, and he's likely to say, "I'm yours." He's your Rockwall Adoptable Shelter Pet for the week of March 5, 2012.

This dog is the real deal

Georgie is the real deal. Is he smart, playful and friendly? Yes. Plus he's unbelievably handsome. He's so much fun to be around that you can't help but break out into a smile as he romps toward you. He'll pick up on obedience training in a hurry, which means he'll be the perfect exercise partner. Georgie is your Rockwall Adoptable Shelter Pet for the week of February 27, 2012.

Pear is a peach of a dog

Pear is a wonderful dog. She has enough Great Pyrenees in her to give her the stature, the intelligence and the gentleness of that breed. But the lab in her keeps her a little smaller and thinner - with shorter fur, of course. Once she gets her heartworm treatments - ask us because financial assistance may be available - she's going to be a thriving, obedient and attentive companion. Pear is your Rockwall Adoptable Shelter Pet for the week of February 20, 2012.

Here's our FAQs about their FAQs

Newman, a large Maine Coon cat, plays the shy kitty as he rests in the arms of Karen Frederickson. He was classified as "feral" by the shelter staff. Under the proposed euthanasia protocol, Newman would have been killed by shelter staff.

The Rockwall City Council is requesting your input regarding the draft of a revised euthanasia policy written by city staff. Here are some clarifications of their published FAQs, which can be found on the city’s web site.

Point One. After achieving live outcomes of 96% or better during five of the last six months for all animals, city staff wants to take a huge step backward. They want to change the city council’s stated goal of saving 90% or better of all animals to saving only 90% of “companion” animals. As emphasized by the city’s FAQs, any animal deemed to be not a “companion” animal by shelter staff will be killed and will not be included in intake or live outcome numbers.

Point Two. Rockwall Pets has been asking the city for months to implement a standardized temperament testing program at the shelter, such as the SAFER program developed by the ASPCA. The current protocol, which will continue according to the city’s FAQs, calls for shelter staff to issue an opinion about the suitability of an animal for adoption. A formal temperament testing program, which can be performed by trained volunteers at no cost to the city or its taxpayers, is much more effective at determining whether an animal is ready for adoption, needs further socialization and/or training, or is unfit to safely live among humans and/or other animals.

The current shelter staff has a poor track record of identifying ill, aggressive and feral animals. For instance, many cats deemed “feral” or “semi-feral” by shelter staff have been socialized by volunteers - or needed no socialization at all - and are now in loving homes.

Rosie was killed by shelter staff during the September 2011 virus outbreak. No rescues, volunteers or fosters were allowed to help the doomed animals. September was the only period during the past six months that the live outcome rate dipped below 90%. The entire episode was handled under a veil of secrecy by shelter staff and city management.

Point three. The city's insistence that injured or ill animals may be killed is ludicrous. Rockwall Pets has proven that we will go to any lengths to save an animal's life. After all, that's our mission. The sad fact is that shelter staff rarely asks us to help an ill or injured animal. We have to discover and diagnose the pet's problem on our own before we can offer assistance.


Point four. The city appears to be making a financial argument as an excuse to decline the establishment of an active trap/neuter/release program as well as a barn cat adoption program for feral cats. In fact, Rockwall Pets has been asking city management for several months to allow us to undertake both TNR and barn cat programs at our expense and using our volunteer personnel. We have been ignored. Once again, this would be at no cost to the city or its taxpayers.


(As an aside, we promised city management last summer that the No Kill effort would not cost Rockwall taxpayers a single extra dime. We have more than lived up to our promise. In fact, the No Kill effort has injected tens of thousands of dollars into the city's economy. Find our more on our web site.)

This succinct summary of the benefits of TNR appears on the Dallas Animal Services web site: “The method of trapping and euthanizing was employed by DAS for decades. This method is not effective in controlling the cat population. The sudden depletion in numbers creates a vacuum that is filled by cats from outside the colony. The result is your neighborhood ends up with more unsterilized cats. A managed trap, neuter, and return feral cat colony will not be able to reproduce and will keep newcomers out.”

Cats like Zion have been classified as "feral" by shelter staff and treated as such (note the notched left ear, which the shelter gave him to signify that he was a neutered feral cat). Zion is now in a loving home following successful efforts by volunteers to socialize him. Under the proposed euthanasia policy, Zion would have been killed by shelter staff.

Point five. The City of Rockwall seems to hold citizen complaints as sacred. But under the new guidelines, if your neighbor traps your pet cat and issues a complaint, your fully domesticated cat will be killed by shelter staff. In other words, the shelter staff would be permitted to return to its “catch and kill” methods of the past.

Point six. The city council reviewed a previous draft of a revised euthanasia protocol last autumn. The draft included extensive categorizing of shelter animals in order to provide the public a clear picture of what animals were euthanized and why. That admirable attempt at public transparency was fully deleted in the current draft. The newly revised policy would allow shelter staff to kill animals under the cloak of secrecy. As citizens and taxpayers, we deserve to know how our money is being spent. A recent Associated Press poll showed that nearly three-fourths of Americans did not want their tax dollars to be used for killing healthy animals in municipal animal shelters.

Cuddles gets ready to go home to Midland with Tristan Minihan. He was near death when he was pulled from the shelter by Rockwall Pets volunteers. Under the proposed euthanasia policy, Cuddles could be killed by shelter staff without prior notification of qualified rescue groups.

Point seven. The previous protocol draft from last autumn contained a clause that gave qualified rescues a 72-hour notification period to save doomed animals. That clause has been deleted from the new draft. Animals will be killed without giving groups like Rockwall Pets a chance to rescue these pets. This is important: If shelter staff were to mis-identify the adoption suitability of a pet, we could be there as a back-up. Under the new policy draft, the animals are simply doomed.

In summary, this proposed draft of a new euthanasia policy makes a mockery of Rockwall’s recent success and represents a huge step backward. We ask the city council to stand by their unanimous vote of August 15, 2011 by rejecting this policy as currently written.

Read the new euthanasia policy draft as posted on the city’s web site. (We admit that we don't understand the part about "viscous" animals. Why we should be worrying about a pet's viscosity, we don't really know.)

Learn how you can make your voice heard by looking for “Citizen Input Requested" on the city’s web site.

Mr. Handsome is in the house!

Have you ever seen a more handsome dog? The color of Jack's coat is simply stunning. He's extremely intelligent and mellow. The poor guy obviously hasn't lived the happiest of lives. It appears he's been abused, so he's very cautious around strangers. A patient, loving touch soon turns him into a loyal companion. Your love will transform Jack into a faithful and ultra-handsome family member. He's your Rockwall Adoptable Shelter Pet for the week of February 13, 2012.

He could be the star of your house

Winston has been everywhere! He's been in the newspaper. He's been on television. He's been receiving extensive obedience training at Ponderosa Pet Resort. He's been everywhere except in a loving home. This handsome dog is ready to be your devoted companion. Rockwall Pets is paying for his adoption fee. You'll also receive a free training lesson with Dennis Morrow at Ponderosa. And you'll have the pride of living with your very own media star! What a deal! Winston is your Rockwall Adoptable Shelter Pet for the week of February 6, 2012.

A faithful friend

This four-year-old red heeler mix is about as smart as they come. Parker may be a little leery around strange dogs, but he's as faithful a family dog as you'll hope to find. He tested as heartworm positive, so he needs to get his treatments to return to full health. But Parker is ready to be your dedicated, mellow and obedient companion. Parker is your Rockwall Adoptable Shelter Pet for the week of January 30, 2012.

Gracie is a very special kitty

Gracie is incredibly loving in spite of the ordeal she's been through. She was either hit by a car or is suffering from a degenerative spinal problem, because she's incontinent. Even though she's very much a special needs kitty, Gracie is one of the sweetest pets we've ever been around. If you're that special person who can give Gracie special attention, she'll return your love tenfold. She's your Rockwall Adoptable Shelter Pet for the week of January 23, 2012.

Meet our resident beauty queen

Even though Beyonce is our resident beauty queen, she's certainly no diva. She's very friendly and outgoing. The struts down the runway usually aren't enough, so Beyonce enjoys a burst of all-out playtime during the day. Add some star power to your family by adopting this gorgeous and fun-loving young lady today! Beyonce is your Rockwall Adoptable Shelter Pet for the week of January 16, 2012.