Today we’d like to introduce you to Jami Nelson.
Jami, before we jump into specific questions about the organization, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
At the age of 26, my life was dramatically changing. I had just begun my career at NEC Corporation of America and was recently married. My husband, Shayne, and I had just purchased our very first home and suddenly went from apartment living to having a fairly big backyard. We finally had enough space for our personal rescue dogs, but, as avid dog lovers, we were also very conscious of the need for families to foster pups in search of their forever homes. We could not ignore the frequency of media coverage and social media outcries for help. News outlets and social media have played a critical role in bringing attention to the overcrowded shelters and sky-high euthanasia rates in Texas. Texas leads the nation with one of the highest kill rates in animal shelters, how could I not want to help?
As soon as my husband and I settled into our new home, we immediately began to search for a rescue to help. I met Debbi Daniels, the owner of Tails from the Heart, through Facebook, and was drawn to her passion and drive to make a difference for shelters and homeless dogs. Since connecting with Debbie a few years ago, we have fostered over 100 dogs. When people find out we foster, they always have two questions 1) Why do I foster? and 2) How can I give up my foster dog to another family? The answers are simple, I foster because there is a critical need, and I hate seeing dogs suffer through no fault of their own. Many of my foster dogs are only with me for 2-3 weeks. It may shake up our schedule or make life around the house a little more hectic, but it saves a life – why would I not do that? I have a much harder time understanding why people DON’T foster. Shelters are forced to euthanize healthy, adoptable dogs, and it is a human-created problem, primarily breeders abandoning dogs that don’t sell and owners not spaying or neutering. We as a society should be stepping up to save lives. To answer the second question, how can I give up my foster dog to another family? It can be emotionally taxing, but I am heavily involved in the selection process to find my foster dog’s permanent home. Dogs are members of families, and it’s very rewarding to help complete a family. As an added bonus, my 2 and 4-year-old daughters get to learn the importance of helping others – it isn’t always easy to say goodbye, but they get so excited knowing that a pup is going to their “forever home”. Besides, if I kept all my fosters, I wouldn’t be able to save more lives!
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 cannot be all puppy snuggles and kisses, because the reality of dog rescue is there can be a lot of disease and heartbreak. Tails from the Heart pulls dogs from rural shelters with low funding. The dogs are often unvaccinated and crammed into overpopulated shelters, which can lead to fatal diseases like parvo and distemper. I personally fostered a puppy that had distemper and watching him deteriorate was heartbreaking. He crossed the rainbow bridge, and it didn’t seem fair that he did not have a chance at a forever family, but he passed away in a loving home and knew what it was like to play with other dogs and children. His short life, although brief, was full of love. Most of the puppies and dogs come to Tails from the Heart with little to no medical history. As a nonprofit, it can be financially devastating to have dogs with illness or disease. It can be tough to find the funds, but we have to try, as any illness or disease would move them to the top of the euthanize list if they returned to a shelter.
Donations and Adoption fees are the only consistent source of funding for a rescue, and we do not pass on added medical expenses to the adopter. So medical expenses can quickly drain our funds. We are blessed to have the support of local individuals and businesses who partner with us and are critical to our mission to improve companion animal welfare. We have held a variety of fundraisers such as Goat/Puppy Yoga, Painting with a Twist, and North Texas Giving Day. It’s a very time-consuming process to organize fundraisers, but every dollar we raise goes towards food, supplies and medical bills.
In addition to the emotional and financial challenges the rescue faces, the most consistent personal challenge is often just finding the time to dedicate. I have a full-time career, two toddlers ages 2 and 4, our own canine/feline companions, and we try to foster as often as possible. Easily the most challenging time period was when I was pursuing my Master’s degree on top of everything else! I am blessed to have a supportive family who also genuinely loves our foster dogs. Most people with small children might tend to shy away from fostering because of their children’s attachment to the dogs. While that can happen and the juggling can become overwhelming, the reward of teaching them to be compassionate, altruistic and to serve their community makes it worthwhile. I always tell them in a challenging situation to look to those who are helping and remember the example they set. If I want them to grow up to be the helpers, I need to show them how to do it!
We’d love to hear more about your organization.
Tails from the Heart is a local, volunteer-based Not-for-Profit organization based out of Plano, TX. We do not have shelter space but rely on a network of volunteers that open their hearts and homes to homeless dogs. Adoption events are held at various locations around North Texas. I feel we are a little unique as fosters, we provide a path for dogs to escape a life of neglect and/or abuse, and find a happy, loving forever home. We take extra steps to ensure our adoptions are well-matched. Tails from the Heart also goes above and beyond to make sure each dog is healthy, and that any medical issues or concerns are communicated to the potential adopters. We are passionate advocates for spaying and neutering animals to end the suffering of unwanted animals and overpopulation of shelters. We volunteer our time and resources to help save the lives of dogs located in the city or rural shelters where they are at high risk of euthanasia due to pet overpopulation. We also help those who are in danger of abuse or neglect, and/or dogs are given up by their owners due to a life-changing event beyond their control. We are committed to helping create better lives for them through foster and adoption.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I have fostered for various rescues, I can say with confidence that Tails from the Heart is unique because of the loving, human souls that create our group. There is no money in rescue. All volunteers are fostering out of the goodness of their hearts. Our priority is to match each dog with their ideal family, in this particular rescue, the foster family has the final say in who the foster dog is adopted too. No one knows the foster dog better than the family it has been living with! And we want to make sure its a forever match. This rescue goes above and beyond in providing medical care. It’s truly about the dogs!
Pricing:
- Our adoption fees are $275 for puppies under 1 year of age and $225 for dogs over 1 year of age. This fee covers the spay or neuter, rabies shot, parvo/distemper shot, Bordetella, fecal and heartworm tests (if applicable), dewormer (if applicable), first month of heartworm and flea/tick preventative and microchip.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.facebook.com/tailsfromtheheartrescue/
- Email: tailsfromtheheart@gmail.com
Image Credit:
My pictures or the rescue owned pictures – okay to use
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