Giving Back

These Dallas charities are making a difference for animals in need

There are many ways to help our four-legged friends.

Cane Rosso Rescue/Facebook

CultureMap's Dallas Charity Guide is shining a spotlight on the many ways local charities are shaping our community. The guide, in partnership with Frost's Opt for Optimism campaign, is a one-stop resource for folks looking for opportunities to give back.

Here, we take a look at the Dallas-area charities and nonprofits that are protecting and caring for those most vulnerable in the community — animals in need. Find out how to support, get involved, and help rescue animals with these local organizations.

Cane Rosso Rescue
Mission: Cane Rosso Rescue aims to support local dog rescue groups, create a network of foster homes, and ultimately find homes for abandoned or homeless dogs. It was founded in March of 2014, when Jay Jerrier, owner of Dallas pizza restaurants Cane Rosso and Zoli's NY Pizza Tavern, expanded his reach beyond the restaurant world in order to help save the life of Walter, a Vizsla mix at a shelter in Arlington. A longtime Vizsla and German Shorthaired Pointer owner, Jerrier and Cane Rosso Rescue have since helped find homes for over 300 dogs (and counting).
Get involved: To see current volunteer opportunities and to fill out the waiver, head here.
Major fundraiser: In addition to maintaining its own network of fosters and dogs, Cane Rosso Rescue seeks to support other DFW-area dog rescue groups through its collaborative "Pups on the Patio" events, held in the spring and fall seasons at Cane Rosso locations. Area rescue groups are given the opportunity to bring adoptable dogs to Cane Rosso's dog-friendly patios for an evening of fundraising, pet adoptions, and pizza. Donations are accepted from patrons in exchange for discounts and deals on food and drinks, and all donations are matched by Cane Rosso.

Dallas Companion Animal Project
Mission: Dallas Companion Animal Project recognizes that a deep connection with pets transcends socio-economic boundaries, and no one should be denied the opportunity to experience the benefits and joy that come from the human-animal bond. The group focuses on the future of the community by strengthening the connection between people and animals. The Pets for Life program addresses inequity and the lack of access to pet resources that people experience in under-served communities through community outreach and pet owner support services in the 75210, 75215, and 75216 ZIP codes.
Get involved: Volunteer opportunities with Dallas Companion Animal Project range from creative to administrative, and with pets or without pets — from going door-to-door offering help for pet owners to helping out at spay/neuter events to picking up donated pet food, tracking inventory, and much more. To get started, fill out a volunteer application.

Dallas Pets Alive
Mission: Dallas Pets Alive's mission is to promote and provide the resources, education, and programs needed to eliminate the killing of companion animals. The organization is run mostly by volunteers, and all pets are housed by dedicated foster families throughout North Texas. The group focuses on helping the healthy and treatable pets who are at risk of euthanasia at Dallas Animal Services, by rescuing the pets at greatest risk and helping owners who are having problems so great that they need to surrender their pet(s) to a shelter. The rescue program focuses primarily on the pets who have already been passed over by other groups and the Dallas Animal Services' adoption programs, taking only the healthy and treatable pets who have no other options.
Get involved: Consider volunteering or becoming a foster to an animal looking for a fur-ever home. Volunteers who work directly with the animals can increase an animal's chances of adoption by providing additional human contact. Volunteers also help inform the community of the aims and objectives of Dallas Pets Alive and promote responsible pet ownership.
Major fundraiser: In addition to weekly adoption events, Dallas Pets Alive holds an annual "pup crawl" to raise money for medical care and training for the animals in its care.

DFW Rescue Me
Mission: DFW Rescue Me is a foster-based dog rescue group in the Dallas area. Their mission is to provide a “new leash on life" by finding permanent and loving homes for lost, abused, and abandoned dogs.
Get involved: To get involved in DFW Rescue Me, you can donate, foster dogs, or become one of the many volunteers that DFW Rescue Me depends upon in order to be successful.
Major fundraiser: DFW Rescue Me hosts many adoption events around Dallas. To learn more about where and when these events take place, click here.

Humane Society of North Texas
Mission: Humane Society of North Texas' mission is to act as an advocate on behalf of all animals and to ensure their legal, moral, and ethical consideration and protection; to provide for the well-being of animals who are abandoned, injured, neglected, mistreated, or otherwise in need; to promote an appreciation of animals; and to instill respect for all living things. Their services include a clinic — which features low-cost spay and neuter surgeries, pet microchipping, and a monthly vaccination clinic — humane investigations, and community outreach and education.
Get involved: The Humane Society of North Texas relies heavily on its volunteers. Opportunities to become involved with HSNT include becoming a foster parent, dog or cat socializer, clinic helper, adoption assistant, event helper, and much more. Head here for volunteer guidelines and information on signing up as a HSNT volunteer.
Membership: Becoming a pet partner through a recurring monthly donation provides the Humane Society of North Texas with a source of consistent support for its life-saving programs.

Humane Tomorrow
Mission: Humane Tomorrow is an all-volunteer organization dedicated to the rescue and placement of unwanted and abused animals in Flower Mound and the surrounding areas. They are also committed to spay/neuter assistance and education to companion animal guardians. Humane Tomorrow works with Flower Mound's animal shelter to secure homes for found animals. Since Humane Tomorrow does not have a shelter, all animals in their program are placed in temporary foster homes until permanent homes can be found. Since 1997, Humane Tomorrow has rescued over 6,000 animals. They are dedicated to promoting a respectful, responsible, and compassionate relationship between animals and people.
Get involved: Humane Tomorrow's range of volunteer needs is vast, from monitoring the phones to hands-on care with Flower Mound's animals. New volunteer orientations are held every month to introduce those interested to the different opportunities available. They are usually held on the third Wednesday of each month, but head here for a current volunteer orientation schedule.
Membership: Humane Tomorrow accepts general donations but also has special programs set up for specific giving. These include the Mercy Fund, which helps provide victims of abuse and neglect the care they need, and Love on Wheels, a program with the mission to reduce euthanasia of dogs in Texas shelters by transporting them to areas where demand for adoptable dogs cannot currently be met.
Major fundraiser: Humane Tomorrow's annual Tuxes and Tails gala is the organization's largest fundraiser, featuring a fun-filled evening of dinner, drinks, and, of course, visits from some of the event's four-legged beneficiaries.

Operation Kindness
Mission: Operation Kindness' mission is to care for homeless cats and dogs in a no-kill environment until each is adopted into responsible homes, and to advocate humane values and behavior.
Get involved: Operation Kindness receives no government funding; they rely solely on generous donations, sponsorships, and adoption fees to fund their operations. To learn more, click here. Volunteering at Operation Kindness is rewarding and makes a huge difference in the lives of the animals. Caring and hard-working volunteers help in a variety of programs throughout the year.
Major fundraiser: Operation Kindness hosts the annual Hope Gala in April.

SPCA of Texas
Mission: The SPCA of Texas is dedicated to providing every animal exceptional care and a loving home. The SPCA of Texas is the leading animal welfare agency in North Texas, with two shelters and three spay/neuter clinics located in Dallas and McKinney. It serves as an active resource center, providing an array of programs and services that bring people and animals together to enrich each others' lives.
Get involved: Help provide emergency support for animals in need, both now and in the future, through all of SPCA's mission-driven programs and services. You can do this by donating, volunteering, or fostering dogs.
Major fundraiser: SPCA of Texas hosts weekend adoption events, Strut Your Mutt, Fur Ball, Paws Cause, and Home for the Holidays, which are all events to benefit the SPCA of Texas and the many animals they host.

pets charity charity-guide

A+ for Plano

Surprising Dallas suburb makes new list of best college towns in U.S.

Southern Methodist University students at a football game

Southern Methodist University/Facebook

Dallas knows how to show out.

Dallas' spirited neighbor Plano has entered the spotlight as the No. 16 best midsize college town in the U.S., while Dallas ranks among the best largest college towns, a new study by WalletHub has proclaimed.

While Plano might not be thought of as a "college town," it is home to primary campuses of Collin College (Spring Creek Campus and the Courtyard Center); Collin College has an annual enrollment of over 60,000 students. To qualify for the study, a city must have a university or college population of at least 7,500 students.

To determine the best college towns, WalletHub analyzed 415 cities based on their "wallet-friendliness," social environment, and academic and economic opportunities for college graduates. Cities are ranked overall and are sorted into one of three population categories: large, midsize, and small cities.

Several North Texas cities were represented across the three rankings by population, but none ranked higher than Plano. This Dallas suburb ranked as the 54th best college town in the nation overall, and ranks as the third-best college town in Texas.

Out of the three key dimensions, Plano ranked highest for its academic and economic opportunities – landing 25th nationally. This category analyzed Plano's quality of higher education, the earning potential for college graduates, unemployment rates, job growth rates, the share of part-time jobs and median income of part-time workers, and more.

In the remaining two categories for its "social environment" and "wallet friendliness," Plano respectively ranked 223rd and 271st nationwide. The social environment ranking compared the number of students per capita, the share of single people, crime rates, and the number of cafés, breweries, festivals, and shopping centers per capita, among others; the wallet-friendliness category examined local housing costs, student loan debt per person, the adjusted cost of living for young people, and other financial factors.

"As student living expenses can reach over $39,000 per year, it’s important to find the most bang for your buck," the report's author wrote. "Therefore, it’s best to live in a city with a reasonable cost of living, along with good academic and work opportunities. The ideal city should also provide a fun social environment to help students deal with the stress of college."

Dallas ranked as the 35th best large college town in the U.S., and it ranked 108th overall regardless of city size.

This is how the rest of North Texas fared in the report:

Denton – No. 77 overall, No. 23 among midsize cities
Fort Worth – No. 100 overall, No. 31 among large cities
McKinney – No. 110 overall, No. 31 among midsize cities
Richardson – No. 139 overall, No. 57 among small cities
Irving – No. 141 overall, No. 39 among midsize cities
Carrollton – No. 150 overall, No. 42 among midsize cities
Arlington – No. 189 overall, No. 53 among large cities
Grand Prairie – No. 230 overall, No. 71 among midsize cities
Garland – No. 265 overall, No. 83 among midsize cities
Mesquite – No. 317 overall, No. 111 among midsize cities

Other top college towns in Texas
Austin once again topped the list as the No. 1 best college town in America, boosted by the city's wealth of local colleges and universities and the local economy. The Capital City has outshone obvious contenders like Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Ann Arbor, Michigan, for five years in a row, and it also tops the large cities list.

According to the report's findings, Austin has the 15th best academic and economic opportunities for college students and graduates, and the 16th best social environment. WalletHub commends Austin for having one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation and the "34th-best annual job growth rate," while also offering students ample ways to "de-stress after class."

"On top of that, Austin ranks 22nd in the nation for the quality of higher education among more than 400 cities in our study," the report said. "It also has the 112th-cheapest in-state tuition (including room and board), at $34,651 per year."

Four other cities in the Lone Star State appeared on the overall list of America's best college towns: College Station (No. 37), San Antonio (No. 72), Houston (No. 73), and Lubbock (No. 83).

In the rankings by city size, San Antonio ranked as the No. 2 best large college town in Texas and 23rd in the U.S., with Houston right behind as the third-best statewide and 24th nationwide.

San Marcos, a college town between Austin and San Antonio, ranked as the No. 2 best small college town in Texas, and 54th best among the small colleges nationally. In the overall list regardless of city size, San Marcos ranked 132nd nationally.

The top 10 best college towns in America for 2027 are:

No. 1 – Austin
No. 2 – Ann Arbor, Michigan
No. 3 – Charlottesville, Virginia
No. 4 – Raleigh, North Carolina
No. 5 – Atlanta
No. 6 – Tampa, Florida
No. 7 – San Diego
No. 8 – Scottsdale, Arizona
No. 9 – Orlando
No. 10 – Charleston, South Carolina

college towns reports wallethub dallas plano