Meet Delia McLinden of Archangel Animal Network in Frisco

Today we’d like to introduce you to Delia McLinden.

Delia, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
In 2018 alone, over two million dogs and cats were euthanized at animal shelters across the country. Sadly, the state of Texas ranks #1 for the number of euthanized shelter animals, with roughly 200,000+ being killed in Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex shelters every year.

I’ve been involved in animal rescue for the past 15 years. It really started in my 30s when I began working for an organization called PAWS Chicago, now one of the nation’s largest no-kill animal rescue organizations as a full-time job. I worked there as the Adoption Program Director and learned SO MUCH about the rescue world. Since then I’ve been an avid dog rescue volunteer and have worked with animal rescue organizations as a volunteer, foster, adopter, and more!

In December of 2018, I formed a partnership with Garland Animal Services and Pets Alive Laredo to send Texas dogs on a regular basis to no-kill humane societies in areas of the country that don’t have animal overpopulation. Archangel Animal Network works with several high-volume intakes Texas shelters and a wide network of receiving rescues in the Midwest and Pacific Northwest. By transporting Texas shelter dogs to partner no-kill rescue organizations located in Northern areas of the country, the lives of healthy, adoptable dogs are saved!

In just 19 months (minus a four-month pandemic hiatus), Archangel Animal Network has transported 812 at-risk shelter dogs (and 11 cats) to Northern rescues. And this number continues to grow. Relocated dogs – who otherwise would have been euthanized for shelter space – are adopted quickly! In fact, many Northern rescues have waiting lists to adopt.

I started Archangel Animal Network because I felt that it was a way to make a significant difference and save many dogs at once on an ongoing basis. And it’s working! Currently, we do 1-2 large transports (30+ dogs) each month and utilize other smaller transport opportunities that come up.

It’s truly unbelievable to see dogs that have been dumped, surrendered, abused and have languished at Texas shelters, often for months, go on these rescue transports, and then get adopted within days or weeks at the Northern rescues. They end up living the most incredible lives – happy, healthy, cherished family members. The ‘happily ever after’ stories – especially of those dogs that were shelter long-termers and would NOT have made it out of the shelter, are the ones that really take your breath away.

Rescue transport is not a new concept or something I came up with. It’s something that I, as an individual, decided to focus on and form a 501c3 non-profit because I felt it was the way that I could make the biggest impact in saving dogs. Right now, I get contacted every day from shelters who want to participate and send dogs on transport. I also have wonderful receiving rescue partners who will commit to taking more transport dogs on an ongoing basis. The ONLY thing that’s standing in the way of doing more transports and saving more lives is simply the funds to do more transports. It costs around $100 to transport each dog, but in my eyes, that’s a bargain to save a life!

My goal now is to find corporate sponsors who will commit to sponsoring a rescue transport every month or every quarter. This is an extremely efficient way of using charitable dollars. Plus, you get to see instant results!

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has NOT been a smooth road, but it’s been an incredibly rewarding experience, and I’ve learned so much along the way.

In regards to rescue transport, I’ve learned so much in terms of what works and what doesn’t in regards in regards to organizing the transports in an efficient and cost-effective way. We’ve come up with a well-oiled machine and system for each transport. However, that STILL doesn’t prevent the unexpected. Sickness (both dogs and humans), winter weather, traffic accidents and transport van breakdowns are just a few of the things that we juggle and find solutions for. And because there are lives on the line, it makes it more crucial to find solutions. The transport must go on!

As an organization, we are volunteers working our tails off (no pun intended) to help get wonderful dogs out of the shelter system. The single most frustrating thing I encounter on a daily basis is the fact that there are so many people who still buy animals from breeders or pet stores. There are SO MANY absolutely wonderful dogs that are dying in shelters every single day because people choose to buy a dog instead of adopting from a shelter or rescue. There is nothing wrong with shelter or rescue dogs – they aren’t ‘damaged goods’ or ‘less than’. They don’t have more behavioral or medical problems. They just happened to be unfortunate in life and ended up in the wrong place – they were failed by PEOPLE. If everyone would ADOPT, instead of buying a dog from a breeder or pet store, we could cut the euthanasia rates of animals in Texas in HALF. And what many people don’t realize – you can find nearly any type of dog in a shelter or through a rescue. Sometimes it just takes a bit more time or research, but it’s 100 percent worth it. And when you adopt a dog from a shelter or rescue, you save the life of that dog PLUS you free space for another dog as well, so you’re essentially saving two lives! With the pet overpopulation we have in Texas, there is NEVER a reason to buy a dog from a breeder or pet store versus adopting. Adopting is the right thing to do and it’s for EVERYONE, not just some people.

Archangel Animal Network – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Archangel Animal Network is not a traditional 501c3 non-profit dog rescue organization. We focus solely on rescue transport because as a small organization, it’s the most efficient and effective way to save the most dogs given the resources at hand. I’m so proud to be able to tell our supporters and those who donate money to fund transports that every single penny goes directly to the cost of transport. No administrative or overhead costs – just paying for transport costs. It’s a very cost-effective and time-effective way of saving wonderful, highly adoptable dogs who deserve a second chance at a wonderful life!

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
One of our Texas shelter partners told me that their involvement in Archangel Animal Network’s rescue transport efforts has helped to completely turn their shelter staff morale around. They LOVE and look forward to transporting days when they get to proudly march out of the shelter with dogs that have been there for months – dogs that they have loved, cared for and wished every day for a home for that dog. We’re helping to make a change for both dogs AND people. It’s really impactful.

Contact Info:

• Email: archangelanimalnetwork@gmail.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArchangelAnimalNetwork
  https://www.facebook.com/ArchangelAnimalNetwork/videos/364436921236349

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