Today we’d like to introduce you to Denise Bailey.
Houston Chow Chow Connection was formed by two women in Houston – Denise (President) and Kristina Vlantes (Vice President/Treasure). Through their love of this fuzzy breed, they became aware of one another and came together to form the rescue in memory of Dianne Watson who was a Chow Chow advocate in Texas.
They initially started saving Chows and vetting them with their own funds. The dogs were then sent to various other rescues once ready for adoption until they got more established.
They thought they would adopt out a handful of Chows each year. They were off the mark! The rescue grew by the sheer need of dogs needing help. Owner turn-ins, strays, shelter dogs… They caught wind of them all in their area and even helped dogs as far as North Carolina and Pennsylvania. At the end of 2017, they will rehome over 120 Chow and Chow mixes all over the United States! It is a privilege to them to be able to care for and rehome each of their dogs.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
We have had some roadblocks along the way. Initially taking in dogs when we weren’t established was very costly and we knew we would be operating in the red for awhile. People did not know about us so dogs stayed with us longer which meant we could not help all the dogs we wanted to.
Another challenge has been the lack of foster homes. We do not have a facility and are primarily foster based. It is the worst feeling in the world when there is a dog in need and you have to turn it away because of space. We truly wish people could understand how important they are to the equation of saving an animal through fostering. We treat our foster homes well providing everything the dogs need including preventatives, crates, pickups for vet appointments if needed and even food if requested.
Finding enough time is a challenge as well. We can’t schedule the need dogs have. People will call, text, message, and email about dogs in need and the requests come at all hours. There are also vet appointments, fundraising events, visiting our dogs if they have to go to boarding, calling applications, training and transporting dogs to their new homes.
And the big unknown always is money. Rescue takes money! We never know what surgery is around the corner that will really test our pocketbook and not allow us to bring in more dogs until we recover financially.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Houston Chow Chow Connection – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
We are a 501(c)3 Chow Chow dog rescue. While we are Houston based we also have teams in Austin and Dallas. We primarily rehome Chow Chows and Chow mixes.
We are so proud of the relationships we have built with our adopters, our veterinarians, donors and other Chow Chow rescue. They support us every day so we can do what we love.
One of the ways we try to help ourselves so we aren’t constantly asking for donations is by selling merchandise we have made. We have two talented ladies that make dog collars, leashes, seatbelt tethers in all kinds of ribbon choices. We also have fun kitchen towels with tongue-in-cheek sayings and other fun items. We attend as many events as time allows to promote and sell the items. All the money raised goes back to our rescue dogs for the purchase of heartworm and flea preventatives, vetting needs, medicines or prescription food.
As in every rescue, there are rags to riches stories. We have had the pleasure of seeing some of our dogs rise from shy and withdrawn to happy and confident as well as being in a horrible condition to a sleek beauty. These transformations are why we say, Yes! Let’s go save another!
A program we are extremely proud of is our Senior Program. We absolutely love senior Chows and if there is one in our area that we can help we do it! We have also rescued two seniors from North Carolina that have been adopted. Those seniors that aren’t adopted go to a forever foster home and we take care of all their vetting, monthly preventatives, etc through their remaining life which is why fundraising is so important.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Each year the rescue has grown by more dog intake and we don’t see it stopping. We realize we can’t operate the way we did when we were saving 60 dogs. We need to put some changes in place so we are.
In 2018 we will be spending more time on internal support. We will be adding another Board position to help us strategize on best practices. We will be partnering with other rescues for larger audiences for adoption and awareness events including a spay and neuter clinic we have been wanting to hold. We are also revamping our website for a better customer experience and we will be looking at internal practices such application flow to better utilize our volunteer’s time.
We also will be taking a harder look at our quality merchandise and working towards getting more of the product in veterinary practices to sell or perhaps other venues. More fundraising opportunities is something that is always in the hopper. An adopter picnic is also something we are thinking about in Houston to start. And – we finally have a logo! We will be rolling it out soon!
We are dreaming BIG! We would love to have a holiday fundraising gala at some point and open a second-hand store via a donated storefront to ensure a flow of vetting and medication dollars for our dogs.
Pricing:
- Fees typically range from $200-$350 for our Chows
Contact Info:
- Address: 448 W. 19th Street
Box 553 Houston, TX 77008 - Website: www.Hccchou.org
- Phone: 832-712-5136
- Email: chowmail.hccc@gmail.com
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
