City of Fort Worth

Spotlight

Every month, Animal Care & Control features a volunteer who’s making a difference for the animals at the shelter: January 2019

Meet Lea Donovan, Fort Worth Animal Care & Control’s volunteer of the month

http://fortworthtexas.gov/animals/volunteer/ 

Join the FWACC Foster Program!

Foster caregivers help us save lives of pets recovering from illness or injury, orphaned kittens and puppies, and many other animals that may thrive better in a home environment than in the shelter. Most pets at FWACC that are available for adoption are also available for foster, and we welcome fosters who can take pets into their homes for any length of time. Foster parents help increase the adoptability of these shelter animals by providing care and a foster home during this time of transition from the shelter to an adopter’s home. 

Foster parents are most in need for:

• Overnight sleepovers or day trips for adult dogs. Short term foster decreases stress in our animals, gives them a much needed break from the shelter, and helps us gain valuable information about the pet to help match them with their future adopter. This is a great way to try out fostering because it is a short-term commitment that makes a HUGE difference in the life of a shelter pet!
• Puppies/kittens or moms with newborns that are too young to be adopted
• Pets recovering from an illness or injury needing some extra TLC and medical care
• Adult dogs who have been in the shelter for longer than 60 days. Some animals (through no fault of their own!) can be passed by in the shelter. These animals often times just need to get out of the shelter and have someone advocating for them to find an adopter.

How to foster:

1. Fill out a volunteer application (link on the right) and sign our foster agreement.
2. Our foster coordinator will send a welcome email within 72 hours of you submitting your application and get you set up to come down to the shelter and pick out a foster pet.
3. Once you take your foster pet home, you will receive a foster manual.

What does the shelter provide?

• WE provide all vaccinations, spay/neuter, microchip and pre-authorized vet care for your foster pet. Food, treats and other basic supplies (beds, crates, leash, etc.) will be supplied to you, depending on availability (these are donation based).
• YOU provide the basics – your home, exercise, space, socialization and love.

Please select the volunteer opportunity you are interested in from the general interest links below, then click "fill in an application" in the top right hand corner under "I would like to volunteer". For more information about the foster program specifically, please email FWACCFoster@fortworthtexas.gov

In the spring of 1992, the Fort Worth Police Department Training Division graduated 43 citizens from the first citizen training academy. The curriculum and teaching methods were similar to the traditional police academy, but the students were not police candidates. The class members were a cross-section of the Fort Worth community; i.e., homemakers, professional business persons, retirees and neighborhood watch members.

The first Police Night School was held in England in 1977 by the Devon and Cromwall Constabulary and met with immediate success. Citizens were anxious to learn operations of their police force which heretofore were obscure and private. Shortly afterward, the Orlando, Florida Police Department conducted the first Citizens Police Academy in the United States. The Orlando Citizens Police Academy was patterned after the English Police Night School. Since that time, other law enforcement agencies throughout the United States have developed and conducted various versions of the Citizen Police Academy.

Graduates of the Fort Worth Police Department Citizens Police Academy will not be commissioned law enforcement officers nor vigilantes. They will be more familiar with the operations of the Fort Worth Police Department and will gain a deeper understanding of the problems and policies facing Fort Worth Police Officers.

The training program consists of classroom and "hands on" instruction to provide the public with a working knowledge of the Fort Worth Police Department. Participants will meet for three hours once each week during the 8 to 12 week course. Instruction will be comprehensive, and each week a different area(s) of the police department will be covered, with each session facilitated by the officers and supervisors who work in that particular unit. Topics covered will include the officer use of firearms and deadly force options, criminal investigative skills, crime scene search, communications, narcotics, area gangs, specialized units, tactical operations and community involvement.

It is the goal of the Fort Worth Police Department that after you complete this program, you will have enough information to dispel any suspicions and misconceptions about the law enforcement role in our criminal justice system. We hope you will develop an appreciation for the Fort Worth Police Department as our community continues to grow and that you will educate others on what you have learned when the opportunity arises. After completion you will have the opportunity to engage in volunteer opportunities with FWPD as a Citizens Police Academy Alumni.

Keep Fort Worth Beautiful (KFWB) is an award-winning affiliate of Keep America Beautiful and Keep Texas Beautiful that has served our community for more than 40 years. Our mission is to educate and engage Fort Worth residents and businesses to take responsibility for improving their community environment.

KFWB has three goals:

• End Littering
• Improve Recycling
• Beautify Communities

We encourage all residents, businesses and visitors to become a volunteer to help prevent litter and make a difference in our community!

If you have any questions, please contact us at: KFWB@fortworthtexas.gov

Visit our website for more information: fortworthtexas.gov/kfwb

Whether you enjoy being outdoors, learning more about the native plants and wildlife, sharing your love of nature with visitors of all ages, or caring for non-releasable education animals, we would love to find a way for you to make your mark at the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge.