#1410, Patti Dawson, Mary Catherine Benavides

Happy Furry Friday!
Patti Dawson from the Dallas DogRRR is here to talk about animal neglect. New guest Mary Catherine Benavides from “The Family Place” is here to discuss their mission. 
Patti Dawson 
Dallas DogRRR  is a group of dedicated, animal loving volunteers who help rescue dogs in the South East Dallas area. Patti started volunteering with Dallas DogRRR in 2014 and began running the operations in January of 2016. When she’s not rescuing animals, Patti is a behavior specialist, wife and mom.
How Dallas Dogrrr is Fighting to End Animal Neglect
Recently there was a sad story in the news coming from South Texas. A man who was attempting to save dogs but accidentally caught all their kennels on fire. Dallas DogRRR immediately went to try and save the day by giving the dogs the medical care they need. Dallas DogRRR takes in the cases that no other organization wants to take. The key for this heartbreaking story is the patience that will be needed to therapize the dogs back to normalcy. 

Patti used to think five dollars didn’t really count. But once she started running her own organization, she realized that the five dollars from 100 different people adds up quick. 

Patti wants everyone to know that they are not just a rescue. They work not just to take a dog in, but to fit the systems that failed the dog in the first place. With the burned dogs, they are not just going to take his burned dogs and help them, they are going to stop this man from doing unknowing harm again. 
Dallas DogRRR and Cats
Dallas DogRRR manages feral cat colonies and helps reduce the number of kittens being produced every kitten season! Kitten season is right around the corner so please remember to spay and neuter your cat, especially if they go outside. 
Mary Catherine Benavides
Mary Catherine Benavides is the Development Manager of The Family Place. 

She has been with the organization for over 7 years and leads their SafeKeepers Annual Giving Society, their ReuNight Major Donor Dinner Fundraiser, is spearheading Love Helps, their new Valentine’s Dinner Delivery Fundraiser, and organized the $17 Million Legacy Campaign to build Ann Moody Place. Mary Catherine hails from small town Tennessee, graduated from Vanderbilt University and previously worked in Major Gifts at Duke University before relocating to Dallas with her husband. She is an active member of the Junior League of Dallas and the Dallas Alpha Delta Pi Alumnae Association, and enjoys spending time with her family and friends, including her toddler girl and menagerie of animals.
The Family Place Mission
The Family Place empowers victims of family violence by providing safe housing, counseling and skills that create independence while building community engagement and advocating for social change to stop family violence. Today The Family Place is the largest family violence service provider in Texas, with three emergency shelters providing 177 shelter beds each night, including the state’s only shelter for men and children, and three counseling centers. We served 11,933 clients last year providing 62,118 days of emergency shelter, 36,015 days of transitional housing, 18,526 hours of counseling to nonresidential clients, and 8,758 hours of counseling to batterers.

An incredible thing about the Family Place is that they are one of the only safe places in the country for families cats and dogs as well! They do not let that family that is already going through a nightmare to loose their furry family members too. When a family is trying to find safety, the animals need safety too, so they are covered by The Family Place! The SPCA helps families spay, neuter, and medicalize the furry family members in need too. 
Thank You!
A big thank you to our guests, Patti Dawson and Mary Catherine Benavides! Please consider donating to Dallas DogRRR and Patti Dawson, as they are doing to life saving work that most in the city do not want to do. Visit The Family Place, here!