Advocate For Animals

The essential guide to animal volunteer opportunities in Dallas-Fort Worth

You love animals, and you'd like to help them in some way. You know there are animals in need, and organizations dedicated to helping them, but you don't know which to support.

Here is our master list of nearly every possible way you can help animals, whether it's an active role or from the comfort of your couch, beginning at the top with those that require a big time commitment, tapering down to easier ways to get involved.

IF YOU WANT TO HANG OUT WITH ANIMALS

Adopt an animal from a shelter or rescue. This one's a big commitment. You're taking care of an animal for the rest of its life, and that can be a long-term relationship. In your search for a pet, avoid breeders and instead adopt from a shelter or rescue. (See some rescue choices below.)

Foster an animal from a shelter or rescue. When you foster, you're still giving an animal a home but it's temporary, for a shorter period of time. You're like a babysitter, until a permanent home can be found.

Volunteer at your city shelter. When you volunteer, you don't take animals home; instead, you visit with them and make them more comfortable during their stay at the shelter. City shelters are great places to help because they shoulder the biggest burden, with the greatest number of animals. Major city shelters include Dallas Animal Services, Fort Worth, Arlington, Burleson, Everman, Irving, Garland, Mesquite, Seagoville, Sunnyvale, Collin County and more.

Volunteer with one of the many groups that assist shelters (and there are more than are listed here):

Volunteer with a rescue group. If you'd prefer to work with a smaller organization than the city shelter, there are hundreds of rescue groups across Dallas-Fort Worth, that specialize in every flavor and breed. Like retrievers? There's a rescue group for that. Like rabbits? There's one for that too. If you want to help cats, there's Feral Friends. A list of rescues is at the bottom of this story; other volunteer opportunities can be found on volunteermatch.org.

IF YOU WANT TO HANG OUT WITH PEOPLE

These groups are good if you want to help animals, but are also seeking social interaction with other people.

Animal Connection of Texas is an activist group that focuses on ending animal suffering, abuse, and exploitation. You'll hold signs at protests and raise awareness about the cruelty of fur, circuses, and animal testing.

Big Fix For Big D is a program that conducts free spay/neuter, vaccinations, and registration clinics for pets in eight Dallas zip codes. You'll be helping poor people take better care of their pets.

Black Vegetarian Society preaches the benefits of a plant-based diet. You'll attend the occasional seminar and potluck gathering.

Dallas Vegan is the biggest vegan organization in Dallas and sponsor of the annual Texas Veggie Fair. You'll attend monthly drink sessions at vegan-friendly bars and other occasional events such as films and special dinners.

Denton Vegetarian Society is a vegetarian/vegan discussion, support, and advocacy community in Denton. You'll attend random seminars, bake sales, and events.

The Humane League Dallas is part of a national organization that does grassroots outreach, education, and campaigning on behalf of animals. You'll hand out leaflets at rock concerts.

Texas Humane Legislative Network is a statewide organization that works on animal legislation. You'll join one of their nine regional chapters and help get out votes on animal protection laws while networking with other animal advocates.

Urban Animal magazine is a quarterly magazine and social enterprise dedicated to increasing the demand for adoptions of homeless pets. You'll respond to requests for supplies and action.

IF YOU DON'T WANT TO HANG OUT

Donate. If you're not out to socialize with people or pets, one easy way to make a contribution is to donate. Nearly every organization listed here is underfunded and staffed by volunteers. You can donate cash, make contributions to medical bills, or buy food and supplies online and have them shipped.

Go meatless. The simplest thing you can do for animals is to stop eating them. Join the annual Texas Go Vegan Week in October. Follow the Meatless Monday Facebook page or join the Meatless Monday Facebook group where you can trade tips and recipes. Eat more often at vegan restaurants such as Spiral Diner, Be Raw, and Kalachandji's.

Visit a nonprofit sanctuary such as Cleveland Amory Black Beauty Ranch or In Sync Exotics, which rescues animals from zoos and other inhumane circumstances — preferable to patronizing zoos, circuses, or animal-themed amusement parks.

Report cruelty. Call 911: if you see someone on the side of the road selling puppies or kittens; if you see a dog chained to a tree; if you see an animal running on a street without an owner.

LIST OF LOCAL RESCUE GROUPS

Local photographer Sylvia Elzafon works with Dallas Animal Services to raise awareness about animals in need at the city shelter.

Photo by Sylvia Elzafon

Local photographer Sylvia Elzafon works with Dallas Animal Services to raise awareness about animals in need at the city shelter.

inspiration

population report

Booming Dallas suburb was the fastest-growing city in the U.S. in 2024

City of Dallas - City Hall/Facebook

Dallas' population has grown to nealry 1.33 million residents.

The Dallas suburb of Princeton grew faster than any other city in the United States in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The new population report said Princeton's population has more than doubled in the last five years. The city saw a dramatic growth rate of 30.6 percent from July 2023 to July 2024, now boasting a population of just over 37,000 residents. The suburb is located 42 miles northeast from downtown Dallas.

The report also revealed Dallas retained its No. 9 spot on the list of the 15 most populous cities in the U.S. Dallas gained more than 23,000 residents during the one-year period, bringing the city's population to 1,326,087 people in 2024.

Elsewhere across North Texas, Fort Worth surpassed 1 million residents and eclipsed Austin as the 11th largest city in the nation. Fort Worth had the fifth-highest numeric increase in population last year, 23,442 residents, to bring the city's total population to 1,008,106 residents.

Houston and San Antonio were the only Texas cities to have higher numerical growth rates than Fort Worth. Houston gained 43,217 residents – the second-highest increase nationwide – while San Antonio ranked No. 4 in growth with an additional 23,945 residents.

Austin has yet to surpass the 1 million population threshold and has a population of 993,588 residents, the report says. The city now ranks 13th on the list of most populous U.S. cities after ranking 11th in 2024.

Sandwiched between No. 11-Fort Worth and No. 13-Austin is San Jose, California, whose population of 997,368 puts it in the 12-largest spot.

Fastest growing U.S. cities
Six additional Texas cities made the list of fastest-growing U.S. cities, with several in the DFW Metroplex:

Fulshear, near Houston (No. 2) with 26.7 percent growth (54,629 total population)
Celina (No. 4) with 18.2 percent growth (51,661 total population)
Anna (No. 5) with 14.6 percent growth (31,986 total population)
Fate (No. 8) with 11.4 percent growth (27,467 total population)
Melissa (No. 11) with 10 percent growth (26,194 total population)
Hutto, near Austin (No. 13) with 9.4 percent growth (42,661 total population)

The Austin suburb of Georgetown's growth has continued to slow since 2023, and it no longer appears in the list of fastest-growing cities. However, it did surpass 100,000 residents in 2024.

San Angelo, a small city in West Texas, also surpassed the 100,000-population threshold.

Most populous U.S. cities in 2024
New York City maintained its stronghold as the biggest in America in 2024, boasting a population of nearly 8.5 million residents. Los Angeles and Chicago also retained second and third place, with respective populations of nearly 3.88 million and more than 2.7 million residents.

"Cities in the Northeast that had experienced population declines in 2023 are now experiencing significant population growth, on average," said Crystal Delbé, a statistician in the Census Bureau’s Population Division. "In fact, cities of all sizes, in all regions, showed faster growth and larger gains than in 2023, except for small cities in the South, whose average population growth rate remained the same."

The 15 populous U.S. cities as of July 1, 2024 were:

No. 1 – New York, New York (8.48 million)
No. 2 – Los Angeles, California (3.88 million)
No. 3 – Chicago, Illinois (2.72 million)
No. 4 – Houston, Texas (2.39 million)
No. 5 – Phoenix, Arizona (1.67 million)
No. 6 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1.57 million)
No. 7 – San Antonio, Texas (1.53 million)
No. 8 – San Diego, California (1.4 million)
No. 9 – Dallas, Texas (1.33 million)
No. 10 – Jacksonville, Florida (1 million)
No. 11 – Fort Worth, Texas (1 million)
No. 12 – San Jose, California (997,368)
No. 13 – Austin, Texas (993,588)
No. 14 – Charlotte, North Carolina (943,476)
No. 15 – Columbus, Ohio (933,263)

dallas dallas suburb dfw metroplex fastest growing cities population growth princeton us census bureau

Advocate For Animals

The essential guide to animal volunteer opportunities in Dallas-Fort Worth

Local photographer Sylvia Elzafon works with Dallas Animal Services to raise awareness about animals in need at the city shelter.

Dark comedy Friendship covers male bonding with copious cringing

Dallas farm-to-table champion Profound Farms closes produce operation

Dallas house for sale from the '50s is still in original condition

population report

Booming Dallas suburb was the fastest-growing city in the U.S. in 2024

Dark comedy Friendship covers male bonding with copious cringing

Dallas farm-to-table champion Profound Farms closes produce operation

Dallas house for sale from the '50s is still in original condition