Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Evans.
Hi Katie, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Growing up, I was always drawn to dogs. I was the kid who always had dogs “following” me home. We had one dog growing up: a Golden Retriever named Lacey. Meeting her for the first time is one of my favorite childhood memories.
Fast forward to adulthood and a move to a city where I didn’t know anyone. I was introduced to dog rescuing and an amazing community of big-hearted humans when my parents went in search of a rescue German Shepherd. I went with them to a meet and greet at a Round Rock area pet store and really enjoyed the experience. It seemed like a great way to meet people and get involved in something positive. I volunteered with that group for close to eight years and made some really incredible friends through the experience.
During that time, I met my now husband, who has slowly been suckered into this rescue life with me (this is the key to my success). After we were graced with our first Great Pyrenees dog, obtained from a friend and neighbor (they learned the hard way that their cats are anti-dog), we fell in love with the breed. They are definitely unique in their temperament and needs, being a little more high maintenance than others, but well worth it. They are such a loving breed, and many of them are great snugglers!
Once we were hooked, we searched out Great Pyrenees dog rescues in Texas. I really did not have high hopes of finding one, especially in Austin. How many of these beautiful dogs could possibly be homeless in Texas? I can’t remember seeing many of them out and about in town. Boy did I have a lot to learn.
In December 2017, I walked into my first Texas Great Pyrenees Rescue meet and greet event. I told the event volunteers that I had some rescue experience and would like to get involved. They were very open and positive about my offer and told me that they needed an Area Coordinator for Austin. I had no idea what that meant, but I told them I’d give it a try. That conversation turned out to be a major moment in my life. One month later, I was voted onto the Board of Directors and handed the reigns of the Austin Area of Texas Great Pyrenees Rescue.
What exactly does that mean? Well, at the time, I had no idea. If I had known then just how much was involved, I’m not sure I would have had the nerve to take the job. Basically, TGPR is split into regions of responsibility. The Area Coordinator is responsible for managing all rescue functions within their portion of the state of Texas: ensuring applications are processed in a timely manner, dog evaluations and intake, vet appointments, record keeping, adoptions, scheduling and running events, responding to email and voicemail, attending monthly Board Meetings. I joke that it’s my second full-time job: the one I get paid for in love. I put in more hours than I can count each week. It’s a lot, but I absolutely found my calling and I LOVE IT.
Texas Great Pyrenees Rescue has grown by leaps and bounds in the 5+ years I’ve been involved. It’s been such a humbling experience to be part of an amazing group of humans working for a common cause, doing good in the world. Our volunteers are the lifeblood of the organization. Without these hundreds of volunteers, this work would not be possible. Our volunteers all have their area of choice in terms of the work they do for us. We have people who process applications, foster, run our social media accounts, fundraise, write and publish our newsletter, drive dogs all over the state from shelters to fosters, to vet appointments and more. I couldn’t possibly list all the ways that our volunteers contribute. It’s absolutely inspiring. When we ask for help, people always step up.
In terms of the size of the organization, the year I joined, we rescued somewhere around 300 dogs statewide. Due to the hard work and dedication of our massive team of volunteers, we are saving more than 600 dogs per year now, and that continues to increase.
Currently, I have the honor of serving the organization as President. In addition, I continue to function as the Austin Area Coordinator. My plate is pretty full, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I honestly love this work and am so grateful to our volunteers, donors, adopters, supporters and the amazing, supportive team of women who make up the Board of Directors.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I’d say this has been a very bumpy but immensely rewarding road.
From a personal aspect, I learned very quickly that I had a lot to learn about communication and compromise. When I first joined the Board of Directors, I had tons of ideas and wanted everyone to see things the way I did. I had very limited experience with working in an emotionally charged, collaborative team environment like this. I cannot count the number of times the President called me and conferenced in other Directors to discuss the way I was communicating (poorly), to explain how I was causing strife for other Directors, etc. It was awful! I had so much to learn. But I was very determined to stick with this group and made it my mission to grow and learn and be better. I am a better listener, I am cautious not to talk over people, I understand the value of apology, I am capable of compromise. I’m a much better leader and all around human. The grace and patience of this wonderful group of people has literally changed the direction of my life and made me who I am today. But man, was it some painful, challenging work.
In terms of the rescue work, the hardest part is knowing that resources are limited. There are only so many people who can, or will, open their homes up to this big dogs temporarily as fosters. It is really easy to get attached to these dogs and can be very hard to let them go. There are limits to the financial resources as well. We are 100% donation-based so our access to funds fluctuates and is tied to how much expendable income folks have. That directly impacts how many dogs we can save because we have to provide all vetting and medical care for the animals we commit to.
The biggest hurdle: KNOWING that there are literally thousands of Great Pyrenees and Pyrenees mix dogs all over Texas who are in danger of euthanasia and need us, while also knowing that we cannot save them all. That wears on all of us.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Texas Great Pyrenees Rescue (TGPR) is a 501c3 not for profit organization. Originally started by a few people who loved the breed, TGPR officially received their 501c3 in 2001. Over the last 20+ years, the organization has saved the lives of over 6000 Great Pyrenees dogs.
Our mission statement:
TGPR IS A 501.C.3 NOT-FOR-PROFIT ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO THE PROTECTION AND RESCUE OF GREAT PYRENEES IN TEXAS AND SURROUNDING AREAS.
TGPR HELPS GREAT PYRENEES THAT ARE CONSIDERED AT-RISK FOR PHYSICAL/MENTAL INJURY, CRUELTY AND ABANDONMENT AND THAT MAY BE SUBJECT TO EUTHANASIA AND INHUMANE TREATMENT.
TGPR is a statewide organization. We are the oldest and largest Great Pyrenees dog rescue in the state of Texas. We are 100% volunteer run. No one in the organization is a paid employee of the rescue. All of the funds are generated through donations and grants, and 100% of that goes to the dogs. Even our Board of Directors, who put in countless hours each week for the organization, are not compensated for their time.
I think what we are most proud of is our reputation. We work very hard to maintain positive relationships with other rescues in Texas and around the country, as well as building solid connections with our vet and specialty partners. One of the policies we have that endears us to most people is our commitment to the dogs that come through our program. We commit to the dogs for LIFE. We are always available to offer support and advice to our adopters for the life of the dogs. That includes training help, guidance for financial resources in the event of major trauma or illness, etc. If for any reason our adopters cannot keep the dog, we always take them back. If the dogs get lost, our volunteers are on the road helping the adopters look for them. The level of dedication to the dogs AND our adopters is something I find to be very special.
What sets us apart from some of many other rescue groups is our ability to take on the hardest cases, especially when it comes to sick and injured dogs. Our donors are AMAZING and always enable us to take on dogs with severe medical needs and our amazing fosters who are willing to take them into their homes to help them recover. Over the years, we have been able to rescue dogs with gunshot wounds, traumatic injuries from being hit by cars, extreme mange, seniors with heartworm disease, cardio issues, and puppies parvo, distemper, and multiple broken bones. While we aren’t able to save them all, we give it our best shot. We are so lucky to have the support of some of the best veterinary specialists in the state.
One of the coolest parts of all of that? Those medical expenses, some well into the thousands of dollars, do not impact the adoption fee of the dogs. They are all adopted out at a set fee, regardless of how much money we have put into saving them. The dogs and our adopter families are our priority.
What are your plans for the future?
TGPR just celebrated our 20th anniversary, and to commemorate that, we rebranded. Our new logo is so amazing! It’s so exciting to have a fresh look. It’s energizing and so much fun!
We have a couple of goals this year:
COVID was hard for us. Each of our areas have historically had at least one in-person event each month. When COVID hit, we had to put that on hold. One of the greatest sources of advertising for us – the dogs. We draw crowds everywhere we go. Imagine walking into a pet store or an event and seeing a big group of white fluffy dogs just hanging out, wagging their tails. People are drawn to the dogs. When we had to put those events on hold, we weren’t able to reach public audiences which has hurt. Those events draw crowds and bring us new volunteers, adopters and donations. I’m so excited to see people again!
Additionally, we are working on a new education program. We will be creating educational content that will include breed traits, what to expect in terms of behavior from a guardian breed, training support, best practices, and maybe even some live question/answer sessions on our social media. We find that there are a lot of misconceptions about this breed that we would like to start addressing. The hope is that this leads to better general understanding but more successful, life-long adoptions. I’m very excited about this!
Pricing:
- Dogs under 1 year of age: $360.50
- Dogs over 1 year of age: $309.00
Contact Info:
- Email: info@txpyrs.org
- Website: www.tgpr.org
- Instagram: @txpyrs
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/TexasGreatPyreneesRescue
