The Dallas Animal Shelter (DAS) has been taking in animals, no matter the circumstance or condition, for decades. In the 2024-2025 fiscal year alone 11,086 animals were adopted from their care. Now, with overpopulation in the shelter becoming a bigger and bigger problem the shelter needs the community to aid in the rescue of thousands of animals.
“We rely heavily on our community,” DAS Volunteer Coordinator Marisol Munoz said. “Every adoption, foster and volunteer makes a difference. We couldn’t do what we do without community involvement. It’s what keeps the shelter running and gives these pets a chance.
Volunteers can start as early as the age of five with parental supervision, but at 16 anyone can volunteer by themselves, making it an opportunity for students to get involved.
“Whether it’s volunteers coming in, fostering, walking dogs, taking photos or videos or even helping with laundry, anything helps,” DAS Animal Care Manager, Brittany Rubalcado said. “With hundreds of dogs and many cats, even small efforts like washing laundry make a big difference.”
Volunteering can come in all shapes and forms. Whether it’s animal-free like washing dishes, hands on like walking dogs and cuddling cats, or fostering animals all the volunteer support makes a difference.
“We have about 1,900 animals in foster care,” DAS supervisor, Erika Bennett said. “That’s like having three and a half shelters worth of animals in foster homes. Fostering is essential to making sure we can get the animals that come to us adopted.”
Additionally, because DAS is a government-funded, open-admission shelter, they are required to take in every animal that comes through their doors no matter the circumstance or condition. In 2024-2025 the DAS took in over 27,000 animals. This policy, while rooted in compassion, also creates difficult realities when space becomes limited, and can lead the shelter to euthanasia.
“We sometimes have to make tough decisions due to space, medical or behavioral issues,” Munoz said. “It’s a difficult but unavoidable reality for open-admission shelters like ours.”
To help more dogs find homes, DAS has also expanded its “Dog Vacation” program, which allows community members to take a dog out for the day. Not only does it give the animals a much-needed break from the shelter environment, but it also helps spread the word about adoptable pets through social media and word of mouth.
“It’s a low-risk, high-reward program,” Bennett said. “When people take dogs out for a few hours, post photos and share their experiences, it gives those dogs visibility and that often leads to adoption.”
With the shelter operating far beyond its intended capacity, teamwork across departments has become essential to keeping operations running smoothly. From animal care to adoption outreach, every role plays a part in ensuring positive outcomes for as many pets as possible.
“My goal is to reduce space euthanasia of healthy, adoptable animals and to create sustainable programs within the shelter,” Bennett said. “That means building systems that will keep saving lives long after I’m gone.”
The DAS also hosts regular adoption events outside of the shelter. During nearly every weekend of the month, they are out and about trying to get adoptions at places like Half Priced Books and around the greater Dallas area. By hosting these events and by using social media to get the word out about adoptable animals, DAS is able to increase adoptions and give every animal a chance.
“Social media is a big way we get the word out about animals needing adoption,” Rubalcado said. “Sharing our posts, spreading the word about adoption events and getting more people involved who might be looking to adopt are all ways we can increase adoption.”
Especially during the Holiday season shelters often receive more pet-returns from families who weren’t ready for that commitment. But, DAS has adoption counselors who aid in every step of the process of bringing a new pet home.
“We don’t see an influx in returns because we have adoption counselors who guide adopters through challenges like behavior or adjustment,” Rubalcado said. “We help people understand decompression and how to get animals adjusted to their new homes.”
For DAS, every adoption, foster and volunteer effort adds up. Every animal deserves a loving home and family. To volunteer, the community can go to the DAS website and fill out the application.
“There are stories every day about animals that have been here a long time finally getting adopted, or dogs that come in poor condition and someone takes them home and invests thousands in their recovery,” Rubalcado said. “It’s incredible.”
