12 GoodLifeFamilyMag.com JULY | AUGUST 2019 Very Inspiring Person AWARD BY KARYN BRODSKY It is said that dogs are man’s best friend, and in the case of Elise Bissell of Richardson, TX, a volunteer animal advocate, she befriends dogs who have no one else. Bissell and two partners, Relle Austin and David Maldonado, founded and run Dallas Street Dog Advocates (DSDA), a nonprofit organization, which rescues stray and forgotten dogs off the streets of Dallas, provides them with necessary medical care and training, andworkstofindthempermanent,caring,foreverhomes.Rescuing dogs, says Bissell, is a societal need that must be filled. “These animals need our help, and if we don’t help them, who will?” Bissell’s love for animals began at a very young age. She says she was “born to save animals” and that the first word she spoke as a baby was “dog.” “WhenIwasveryyoung,welivedinMartha,asmalltowninWest Texas. Martha had no animal control, so if pets were unwanted, they were either put in the trash or dumped on the side of the road to die,” she recalls. “I once found a litter of kittens in the trash and brought them home, as well as many dogs. My parents never knew what I would show up with next.” Bissell originally wanted to be a veterinarian. While a student at Texas A&M University, she excelled in biology and other sciences and ended up attending nursing school. She says she’ll never regret that choice, as she loves being a nurse, but she feels her calling is with the dogs. “It’s so interesting to me,” notes Bissell. “Mammals, including dogs, have similar physiology and medical issues to those of humans, so my nursing education and training is easily transferred.” After years of rescuing pets, Bissell started Take Me Home Pet Rescue in 2008, which is dedicated to helping, healing, and finding homes for unwanted pets of all types. At the time, she adds, not many pet rescues existed, but today there are many. About two years ago, Bissell and her partners started DSDA by going into South Dallas and unincorporated areas where people literally dump dogs. Bissell and a group of 40 to 50 volunteers regularly pick up stray dogs, have them checked and vaccinated by a veterinarian who will also board them temporarily, and ultimately find them foster homes. Some of the rescue dogs are picked up by Dallas Animal Services, which Bissell says has really improved their services. Stray dogs in South Dallas and the unincorporated areas are a major problem, says Bissell. Many residents get dogs for home security but can’t afford to care for them. In addition, there is nowhere close by to bring the dogs. The Dallas shelter is 30 miles away and not easily accessible for people without automobiles or who can’t afford to pay for gas. There are dogs in these areas that are chained to their property and become aggressive, which precludes them from being adopted. Some time ago, Bissell says, a woman was mauled to death by aggressive dogs. “This event triggered the creation of DSDA,” says Bissell. “A study A TAIL OF TWO CITIES HOW A VOLUNTEER ANIMAL ADVOCATE FREQUENTS ANOTHER SIDE OF DALLAS TO RESCUE DOGS IN NEED OF GOOD HOMES Elise Bissell’s love for animals began at a very young age. She says she was “born to save animals” and that the first word she spoke as a baby was “dog.”