Pet Support and Resource Center
Keeping pets and their families together
Our Pet Support and Resource Center provides a safety net for families who want to keep their pets but may need a little help to do so. In partnership with other rescue groups, we may provide free spay/neuter surgeries, vaccinations, preventative care, pet food, or basic medical care. We also partner with rescue groups to assist pet owners with minor fence repairs so a dog can’t escape his yard or provide a kennel to ensure an outside dog’s protection from the elements. We want to do whatever we can to keep pets safe and with their families.
We also have a program for people experiencing homelessness that ensures dogs and cats receive the best of care regardless of their owner’s financial challenges. This special program is in partnership with The Bridge Homeless Recovery Center.
Program Statistics
1,226
Pets kept out of the shelter in 2024
This is 18% of Pets. DONATE TODAY to help build the program!
If people still can’t keep their pets with these additional resources, then we offer pet owners alternatives to surrendering their pets to the city shelter to reduce the chances they might be euthanized if a home can’t be found. We provide tips for rehoming their pets themselves as well as offer to place their pets in foster care with one of our rescue partners so these pets have the time they need to be rehomed. We operate the Pet Support and Resource Center in partnership with Dallas Animal Services, Fort Worth Animal Care & Control and local rescue partners.
If people still can’t keep their pets with these additional resources, then we offer pet owners alternatives to surrendering their pets to the city shelter to reduce the chances they might be euthanized if a home can’t be found. We provide tips for rehoming their pets themselves as well as offer to place their pets in foster care with one of our rescue partners so these pets have the time they need to be rehomed. We operate the Pet Support and Resource Center in partnership with Dallas Animal Services, Fort Worth Animal Care & Control and local rescue partners.
Spay Neuter Network was recognized with the 2020 LIFESAVING AWARD for Collective Impact from Best Friends Animal Society, a national animal welfare organization dedicated to ending the killing of dogs and cats in America’s shelters. This award demonstrated outstanding ability to support fellow partners and work collaboratively toward a common goal. Specifically, SNN’s Pet Support and Resource call center is helping to lower pet surrender levels by helping owners get the resources they need to keep their pets, helping them rehome their pets or diverting pets to appropriate rescues for faster adoptions keeping shelter intake down.
Spay Neuter Network was recognized with the 2020 LIFESAVING AWARD for Collective Impact from Best Friends Animal Society, a national animal welfare organization dedicated to ending the killing of dogs and cats in America’s shelters. This award demonstrated outstanding ability to support fellow partners and work collaboratively toward a common goal. Specifically, SNN’s Pet Support and Resource call center is helping to lower pet surrender levels by helping owners get the resources they need to keep their pets, helping them rehome their pets or diverting pets to appropriate rescues for faster adoptions keeping shelter intake down.
Success Stories
Twilight, Bella, Mr. Grey
Molly Berry had been worrying about her three beloved dogs—Twilight, her 14-year-old emotional support dog, Bella, a two-year-old dog, and Mr. Grey, the youngest at just 11 weeks old. Despite her best efforts, Molly was struggling to keep up with their vaccinations, leaving her feeling concerned about their safety. Through a referral from Dallas Animal Services (DAS), Molly reached out to our Pet Support and Resource Center. “I was worried and didn’t know what to do,” she shared. Molly wanted to ensure her pets were healthy but needed help getting them the vaccines they required. We stepped in, providing all three dogs with their vaccines at no cost. Twilight received Bordetella and Leptospirosis shots, Bella got her Rabies, Bordetella, and Leptospirosis vaccinations, and little Mr. Grey was given his first round of vaccines along with a dewormer. Thanks to the support she received, Molly no longer has to worry. Her dogs are healthy and protected. Reflecting on the experience, she said, "God is good, and He sent me a big blessing in the form of Spay Neuter Network.” Molly’s dogs are now vaccinated and ready to live happy, healthy lives—together.
Prince
When a husband’s coworker needed to rehome their dog, Amber agreed to hold onto “Prince” until the new owner could come by to pick him up. But the new owner never picked up Prince, and the old owner wouldn’t take him back. Unsure of what to do, Amber called Spay Neuter Network’s Pet Support and Resource Center to schedule an appointment to surrender the dog to the city shelter. With Amber starting nursing school, she didn’t have the money to get Prince vaccinated or buy him a new crate since the one he arrived in was very rusted. We asked Amber if she would keep Prince if we could help her with those things. She got excited and said, “Yes, absolutely!” So, we provided her with a $50 voucher to get Prince vaccinated at one of our clinics, a new dog crate from Dallas Animal Services, and pet food from the DFW Humane Society Pet Food Assistance Program. “These services made it possible for us to make Prince a part of our family,” said Amber. “Receiving these services meant Prince didn’t have to go the animal shelter.”
Maya
Georgina, who’s currently unemployed, found herself in a difficult situation when she needed to have her one-year-old cat Maya spayed and lacked the funds to pay for surgery. A friend suggested she reach out to Spay Neuter Network to see if we could help. We gave Georgina a voucher to get Maya spayed and vaccinated at no cost. She was ecstatic that we were able to help. “I am super grateful for the services that you guys are able to provide. Thank you immensely for all the assistance you have provided. I am sincerely grateful for all the support you offer and for enabling me to care for my beloved pet.”
Lili
Carla had just moved to the Dallas area when she found a three-month-old puppy wandering around her new neighborhood. She searched for the owner, but, with no collar, no ID tag, and no microchip, the puppy’s owner was never found. That’s when Carla named her Lili and decided to keep this sweet-natured puppy for her own. As a responsible pet owner, Carla knew she needed to get Lili vaccinated, so she called Dallas’ 311 to find out if there was any community help available. They connected Carla to our Pet Support and Resource Center where we provided her with a voucher to cover Lili’s DAPPV, rabies vaccine, and dewormer. "This service is amazing and allows me to keep Lili,” Carla said.
Coco
When Grace called 311 to surrender her one-year-old cat, Coco, because he was spraying all over the house, she reached our Pet Support and Resource Center. We told her Coco may be spraying because he had reached sexual maturity and was not fixed. He was just marking his territory as any unfixed male cat might do. So, we offered Grace a voucher to get Coco neutered, vaccinated, and microchipped at one of our clinics. “Since then, he has been good and sleeping better at night,” says Grace. “He has stopped crying and is now more relaxed.” We’re happy to have solved her problem and helped Coco remain with his family. Our Pet Support and Resource Center has kept 502 pets out of the shelter in 2023. Your donation on North Texas Giving Day will help us keep more pets like Coco at home with their families.
Nellie
Micaela adopted five year old Nellie from Dallas Animal Services six months ago. Micaela noticed that Nellie was getting aggressive with people and other dogs. She decided to surrender Nellie through our Pet Support and Resource Center but canceled that appointment because she wanted to give Nellie a little more time. Micaela was concerned with surrendering her due to her behavior problems. After hearing about Nellie's behavior problems, we offered to enroll Nellie and Micaela in Petcademy, our online training resource. They were enrolled for 30 days and said the "training and tips they received helped greatly. They were continuing to see improvement in Nellie's behavior." Michaela is grateful Nellie is doing better and is happy that she can stay with her family.
Coco
Audrey was planning on surrendering 1 year old Coco because she could not afford to get her spayed and did not want her to get pregnant. We were able to offer her a voucher from the PSRC and now Coco gets to stay with Audrey and not be surrendered to the shelter. Audrey is "so happy and thankful" that we can provide this service to help her keep her pet in her home.
Rere
Rere's owner passed away 4 months ago. Rere, a 1-year-old cat, went to live with Eve, her owner's mother. Eve wanted to keep Rere because she was the only thing Eve had left from her daughter. Eve already had other pets and the only way Eve could keep her was to find a way to get her spayed. Eve heard about the Pet Support and Resource Center so she reached out to get help getting Rere spayed. We were able to provide Eve with a $100 voucher that would cover her spay as well as vaccines. Rere was able to get spayed and vaccinated at the Dallas clinic. Eve said, "Meant the world to me since losing my daughter Rere is all I have left".
Leah
Katrina called the Pet Support and Resource Center to make a surrender appointment for her 8 month old dog Leah. She was struggling with food as well as not having enough money to purchase a kennel for Leah. Together with Dallas Animal Services, we were able to get Katrina a kennel big enough for Leah to grow into. Now that Katrina has a kennel, she is able to keep Leah. Katrina said, "Leah was rescued in December 2022 and was very under weight that I didnt think she would even make it. I struggled with the decision to call and surrender her because I nurtured her back to life and rescued her from a bad situation only to have to give her up. When yall told me that yall would be willing to help me I was relieved because I really do love her."
Pumpkin and Halo
Paula has been taking care of the outdoor cats at her apartment complex when she met Pumpkin and Halo. Paula met one-year-old Pumpkin when he was a kitten and wanted to make him an indoor kitty. Months later Paula found five-month-old Halo and just had to keep her inside her home. Both cats needed to be fixed and vaccinated but Paula was unable to due to cost. Paula reached out to our Pet Support and Resource Center to surrender both Pumpkin and Halo because she was afraid she couldn’t give them the care she knew they needed. We were able to offer to get both Pumpkin and Halo fixed and vaccinated for free. Paula was delighted by the offer. She would no longer need to surrender her babies. “I am now able to keep them in my home and keep them together.”
Dallas
Jaiyauna was going to have to surrender her dog Dallas because she would be distructive when home alone. Jaiyauna did not have the funds to buy Dallas a kennel so she called our Pet Support and Resource Center to set up a surrender appointment. We let Jaiyauna know that we could get her help with a kennel so she could keep Dallas. Jaiyauna has had 11-month old Dallas for 5 months and did not want to give her up. With the help of Dallas Animal Services we were able to provide Jaiyauna with a kennel that is big enough for Dallas to grow and play in while her family is out. DAS also gave Jaiyauna a bag of dog food. Jaiyauna said "this was the biggest help she could ever ask for. Being able to keep her out of the shelter and train her to be better when we are not home makes me so happy. I just want her to be happy in our home wiith us."
Chanel
Six months ago, Shereike found Chanel, a one-year-old Pitbull Terrier mix, homeless on the streets. She didn't think twice about giving this adorable dog a good home. But as an adult dog, Chanel's spay surgery and vaccinations would cost more than $250 – way out of reach for Shereike. Shereike wanted the best for Chanel. Sadly, she thought that meant surrendering Chanel to the city shelter so someone else could take care of her. Fortunately, through our partnership with the City of Dallas 311 and Dallas Animal Services, Shereike was rerouted to our Pet Support and Resource Center, which provides resources to keep pets and their families together. We gave Shereike a voucher to get Chanel fixed and vaccinated at one of our clinics. Rather than face an unknown future at an animal shelter, Chanel can now remain with the family who loves her. Shereike says there were a few added benefits she wasn't anticipating. "She listens better and is learning obedience commands," she says. "She has calmed down since the surgery."
Cyrus
The Pet Support and Resouce Center received an owner surrender for Cyrus. We discovered Tonie was no longer able to care for Cyrus due to the cost of medical and daily care. After speaking with Tonie we knew she truly did not want to surrender the dog that she loved. Tonie was very concerned because not only was Cyrus behind on vaccinations but she seemed sick and was not gaining weight as she should. We referred Tonie to Dallas Pets Alive and they were able to get her in to see a vet. The vet found no issues with Cyrus but suggested Tonia change her diet. After that good new, Tonie decided to keep Cyrus. She stated, "Yes I'm definitely going to keep her and try my hardest to get her back to where she needs to be knowing she is okay."
Cucy, Lalo, Magy, Neny
During a joint clinic with Inspired Vision, an organization dedicated to feeding as many people as they can in North Texas, we met Ms. Villa. She arrived with four orphaned kittens whom she had rescued and bottle-fed over the past few weeks. She knew they all needed to be fixed and vaccinated, but she only had enough money to cover the expenses for one kitten. She thought she would have to decide on which one to keep and get that one fixed and vaccinated, and then surrender the other three kittens to the city shelter. Instead, we covered the spay/neuter surgeries and vaccinations for all four kittens, thanks to donors and supporters of our Pet Support and Resource Center. That way, Miss Villa could use the money she saved to feed her family instead. Now, regardless of whether these kittens remained with her or found a new home with another family, they would have what they needed to get a healthy start in life.
Hazel
When Alexandra called Dallas’ 311 to surrender her 1-year-old dog Hazel to Dallas Animal Services, she was transferred to us. Through our Pet Support and Resource Center, we help pet owners calling to surrender their pets with resources that can help them keep their pets. Alexandra said she was surrendering Hazel because she couldn’t afford to vaccinate her. Alexandra wanted the best for Hazel, and in her mind, “best” was letting her go to someone else so they could take care of her. But “best” was not good for Hazel, who would be leaving the only family she knew and loved. Thanks to generous funds from people like you and grant support, we helped Alexandra by giving her free vaccines and spay surgery for Hazel. Alexandra and Hazel are still a family – and it’s one less dog surrendered to the city shelter.
Chloe
When Shamela called 311 for help with her 1-year-old dog Chloe, she was routed to our Pet Support and Resource Center. Shamela said she was having to move to a new home, but the pet deposit was prohibitive. She couldn’t find another place to live that didn’t require a hefty pet deposit and was uncertain if she would be able to keep Chloe. She asked if we had any advice or suggestions on what she could do. As advocates for keeping pets and their families together, we located resources in the community to help Shamela pay the pet deposit so she could keep Chloe in her home. The more pets we keep in their homes, the fewer pets there will be surrendered to our city shelters. Our Pet Support and Resource Center provides a safety net for families who want to keep their pets but may need a little help to do so.
Coco
Coco's owner had to move and didn't want to surrender Coco but did not have the money for the pet deposit. Her case was transferred to Dallas Pets Alive and they were able to provide her with the pet deposit she needed to keep Coco with her.
Ziggy
Ziggy showed up outside Mary's house. Ziggy kept trying to get inside her house. Mary already had three cats and really did not want another one. She brought Ziggy inside her home. She called 311 to surrender but Mary had fallen in love withe Ziggy and did not want to surrender. We offered to have the cat vaccinated, spayed and microchipped for free if she would like to keep her and she said yes. Ziggy had surgery and all her vaccines and is doing great.
Luna
Luna was always getting pregnant and her owner Margaret couldn’t afford to get her fixed. Margaret was going to have to give Luna up. Margaret called the Pet Support and Rescource Center to make a surrender appointment. We gave Margaret a $100 voucher to get Luna fixed and vaccinated. Luna got spayed and was able to stay in her home
Bless
Dorothy submitted a surrender request to our Pet Support and Resource Center for a neighborhood cat. Dorothy found her in her front yard and she did not really want a cat. After a few days Dorothy changed her mind and fell in love with Bless. She wanted to keep her but could not afford to have her spayed. We issued her a voucher and Bless got spayed! Dorothy is so happy she doesn't have to surrender her. Bless now goes everywhere with her!
Dodo
Maria did not want to surrender her cat Dodo but she was pregnant and Maria could not afford kittens. Maria was offered a voucher to get her fixed and vaccines for free. Maria is so grateful that she can keep Dodo.
Whisper
Whisper was found as a stray, and her finder couldn’t keep her, so a surrender appointment was made at DAS. But, before that could happen, she was tagged from the Pet Support and Resource Center board by One by One Pet Rescue. She has since been adopted by a wonderful family and even has a younger pup to play with!
Franklin
Franklin, an eight-year-old terrier mix, was being surrendered to Dallas Animal Services by his family. They had young children and worked full-time jobs and had no extra time or attention to give the dog. When they called 311, they were connected to our Pet Resource and Support Center. We placed Franklin on our Rescue Board, and a rescue group scooped up Franklin almost immediately. During his pre-adoption veterinary evaluation, we discovered Franklin had bladder stones. We made sure he was treated for the bladder stones as well as neutered, vaccinated, and microchipped. He also received a dental cleaning. It’s hard to rehome an older pet, but rescue groups often have more time than the city shelter to find dogs’ new homes. Thankfully, it didn’t take long for Franklin to find a new family who had time to love him.
Joey
Conner found a two-year-old terrier roaming his neighborhood. He picked up the dog and put up fliers in the hopes of finding the dog’s owner. No one called. Conner’s family fell in love with “Joey,” but he said Joey and the other pets in the home weren’t getting along. When he called 311 to surrender Joey to Dallas Animal Services, he was routed to Spay Neuter Network’s Pet Resource and Support Center. We placed Joey on our Rescue Board to see if a rescue group could find Joey a home. A rescue group stepped up to help Joey right away. So, we neutered, vaccinated, and microchipped him in preparation for his transfer to the rescue group. Within a week, Joey had a new home with a family that adores him. Because Conner held onto Joey until a rescue group stepped up, Joey didn’t have to go to the city shelter
Corndog
When a young man called the City of Dallas’ 311, Spay Neuter Network’s Pet Resource and Support Center answered. He had a five-year-old retriever named Corn Dog, and said he was moving and couldn’t take the dog with him. We asked if anyone in the family could take the dog, but he said his mom didn’t want to take care of the dog once he moved out. This is heartbreaking for us because it’s always challenging to find a home for an older dog. Through our Pet Resource and Support Center though, we strive to help people keep their pets, offer advice on rehoming them, or offer to place them with a rescue group so they can bypass the stress of going to the city animal shelter. In this instance, the family wanted us to find him a new home for Corndog, so we put him on our Rescue Board and are happy to say he was adopted by an incredible family with lots of land for him to run around on.
Petey
Petey, was scheduled for surrender at DAS due to his owner no longer having time to care for him and moving. Dallas Pets Alive! stepped in to foster Petey, who is 12 years old. He needed some medical treatment and dental work, which was completed quickly. In less than a month, Petey found his forever home with Debra!
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