How did we get started?
Lost Paws Rescue of Texas was founded in 2005 with a mission of finding new homes for shelter dogs and cats as well as breeder release and owner surrender animals. After volunteering for years at local rescue organizations, Yvette Garza decided to create her own rescue starting with $150,a dog and a cat. Seventeen years later and over 8200 animals adopted into new homes, Lost Paws Rescue of Texas is very well established as a zero-salary organization with no debt and an extremely close and reciprocal relationship with three north Texas PetSmart locations in Southlake, Frisco and Lewisville for adoption events 52 weeks a year.
Why do we do this work?
Our job is to just make the connections and then love does the rest. For each dog or cat in our program, it is everything for them. All these years later, we still look at each animal as though they are the most important for us and we do all we can to help them find their perfect new family. We receive multiple updates each week from owners who feel like we are part of their adoption story and WE LOVE hearing about their pet children. The photos the families send are what keep us going. These animals are HAPPY, some maybe for the first time in their life. We have a large percentage of repeat and tri-peat adopters who come back to us when they are ready for another pet. This speaks volumes of the relationships we desire to cultivate with the north Texas area pet lovers.
What does your donation fund?
We are a 100% volunteer organization with no paid staff and not one cent goes to salary for anyone. All donations go to the direct care and wellbeing of the animals. The adoption fees cover most of the medical expenses, however, the total cost of each animal in our care for weeks, sometimes months averages about $80-$100 more than our adoption fees. This gap is covered by all donations, grants when we receive them and this North Texas Giving Day event. Our costs are more than food and veterinary, they include a multi-building, multi-room large foster farm and all utilities associated as well as our supplies for cleaning, pee pads, beds, turf maintenance and then our three transport vehicles for vet trips, shelter collections and the travel to events at different sites each weekend. We are very frugal with our money, we know this money must stretch far. As an example, we buy our transport minivans used and keep them until they hit at least 250K miles.