Animal News

Change-making Dallas animal group offers free internships to vet students

TCAP has made a significant difference in the lives of pets in Dallas-Fort Worth.

TCAP

One of the most game-changing animal organizations in Dallas-Fort Worth has a new program offering hands-on experience to veterinary students.

The program is from The Texas Coalition for Animal Protection (TCAP), a leading nonprofit organization that provides low-cost spay/neuter, vaccine, and wellness services to underserved communities across North Texas.

Called The Veterinary Student Surgical Externship Program, it's a five-day program that's open to fourth-year veterinary students, who will work alongside experienced veterinary surgeons in TCAP's state-of-the-art surgical training facility, where they can gain practical experience in spay and neuter surgeries, vaccinations, basic wellness care, and more.

The program is designed to enhance participants' technical skills, increase their confidence in the operating room, and deepen their understanding of sterilization surgical techniques.

They'll also get access to educational resources, engage in lectures and discussions surrounding animal welfare topics, participate in case discussions, and learn from elite instructors specializing in HQHV community animal care.

Beyond giving the next generation of veterinary doctors experience, the goal is also to inspire them to take an interest in shelter medicine.

TCAP has eight North Texas locations: Allen, Arlington, Burleson, Denton, Fort Worth, Garland, Hurst, and Weatherford.

They also have more than 40 offsite travel locations, where they partner with local cities and shelters who allow TCAP to come in and perform low-cost sterilizations at their facility. Pet owners drop off their pets at these locations just as they would at a vet or TCAP clinic. The sterilization is performed on-site, and pets go home the same afternoon.

These efforts have helped TCAP make a major contribution to reducing the pet overpopulation issue plaguing Texas.

TCAP director of operations Katelyn McGuire says in a statement that the externship program embodies their mission to end pet overpopulation and improve community animal welfare.

"By providing aspiring veterinarians with an immersive, hands-on surgical experience, we empower them to positively impact animal health and welfare in our community," McGuire says.

Information about the Veterinary Student Surgical Externship Program, including application details and requirements, is on the TCAP website at texasforthem.org/veterinary-externship/.

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Vaping Ban

Dallas ordinance banning vaping in public spaces goes into effect

Photo via Pixlr

Vaping is banned

Vaping is now banned in public spaces in Dallas via a new ordinance which went into effect on December 11, 2025.

The Dallas City Council passed the ordinance — aimed at enhancing air quality and safeguarding the health of residents by prohibiting vaping in places where smoking is already banned — on December 11, 2024. But the public was given a year-long grace period to adjust. It now takes effect, with residents, business owners, and operators required to come into compliance with the new rules.

The ordinance, which was proposed by City of Dallas Environmental Commission (EVC) and the Office of Environmental Quality and Sustainability (OEQS), amends the definition of "smoking" in the Dallas City Code to include the use of electronic smoking devices (vaping). This measure effectively bans vaping in all locations currently prohibited for smoking.

The ordinance prohibits vaping in all indoor and enclosed spaces, within 15 feet of building entrances, and on park property. Importantly, this amendment does not add any new locations to the list of smoking and vaping restrictions.

The vaping ordinance document is online at https://www.dallasclimateaction.com/.

Assistant City Manager Liz Cedillo-Pereira says in a release thatshe is proud of this effort to keep the air cleaner.

"The largest cities in Texas are now aligned to protect people at work as well as the public from secondary exposure to potentially harmful substances," Cedillo-Pereira says.

In addition, the amendment requires businesses, such as restaurants, hotels and fitness centers, to update their signage to clearly state that both smoking and the use of electronic smoking devices are prohibited.

"We're all connected through our environment," says Office of Environmental Quality and Sustainability director Angela Hodges Gott. "Keeping our places of business, parks, creeks, and rivers clean is something everyone benefits from. When we reduce vaping and smoking litter, we're protecting the vibrancy of Dallas."

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