Danny & Ron’s Rescue

Danny & Ron’s Rescue, which has locations in both Florida and South Carolina, supports the welfare of all dogs by rescuing dogs into their home, embracing them as their own, and helping them find forever homes.

Founders Danny Robertshaw and Ron Danta began their rescue mission in 2005 in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina by aiding dogs that were left homeless by the storm. Since then, their outreach has grown to heights they never imagined. They are now rescuing puppy mill dogs, bait dogs used in dogfighting, and hundreds of dogs from shelters—often moments away from euthanasia.

Danny & Ron’s Rescue also currently delivers pet food and supplies to more than 48 elderly people living in poverty—and they pay for these dogs’ medical bills, as well. The organization has rescued dogs from junkyards and shelters, freed animals chained to trees and living in small cages, and saved abandoned pets living on the streets.

According to Danny and Ron, their Rescue is a unique organization. Because an abused or neglected dog can only recover and learn to trust again when it is in a loving home, Danny and Ron have turned their own house into the ultimate safe haven. There, they personally care for injured and abused animals until they are ready for adoption. Each dog receives a wellness check from the rescue’s veterinarian, is then spayed/neutered, vaccinated, microchipped, dewormed, groomed, and loved. But most important, each dog is treated like part of the family, fed organic dog food from its own bowl, and even allowed to sleep in the bed. Danny and Ron believe that the opportunity to live with humans and other dogs in a real home environment is the best way to prepare a dog for adoption and a life with a loving family. They are also proud to be one of the only organizations that does not charge a pre-set adoption fee and instead relies on an affordable donation from the adopter.

Danny and Ron’s journey as animal advocates was featured in the 2019 documentary “Life in the Doghouse,” which aired on Netflix, and shared their story of their commitment to helping dogs, and their mission of speaking for helpless animals that have no voice. To date, they have saved more than 12,000 dogs and show no signs of slowing down.

“Danny & Ron’s Rescue is thrilled to be one of the charity organizations featured in the Catwalk Furbaby by Elysian!” said Danny and Ron. “We are grateful to our designer, Marc Bouwer, and to our sponsor, Durbin Emerson, for their enthusiastic support! This magnificent event will help to ensure that we can continue to rescue dogs into our home, embrace them as our own, and help them find forever homes.”

Danny & Ron’s Rescue will be represented at the event by designer Marc Bouwer, whose dog Eliza will be strutting on the catwalk. Bouwer, who hails from South Africa but who now calls America home, is known not only for his artful draping and use of stretch fabrics (dubbed athletic glamour), but for being the first designer to produce a virtual fashion show in response to economic struggle across the globe as well as in respect for the environment. ■

Sponsor: Durbin Emerson / dannyronsrescue.org

—KAREN

Operation Kindness is a pioneer in Texas for assisting animals in need of veterinary care, companionship, and most of all, a home. They operate a no-kill animal shelter in Carrollton, TX., and in addition to pet adoptions and lifesaving medical care, their programs provide foster care for vulnerable animals, resources for pet parents, affordable veterinary services for community pets, a pet food pantry, and volunteer opportunities.

Operation Kindness was founded in 1976 by a group of volunteers who wanted to realize their vision of creating a shelter for homeless animals that had nowhere else to turn. Their idea was simple: show homeless pets kindness. In its earliest days, Operation Kindness functioned out of volunteers’ homes, but in the summer of 1976, the organization acquired the use of a veterinary clinic located in Garland, TX. Fast forward to 1988, and Operation Kindness had moved to a larger storefront location in Carrollton, and in 1999, they found their current home on Earhart Drive in Carrollton. Since then, they have celebrated several milestones, including breaking ground on the renovation and expansion of its adoption center and animal hospital in April 2018, celebrating the grand opening of the Rees-Jones Foundation Medical Wing in March 2020, and completing the remainder of the facility in July 2021. In July 2022, Operation Kindness launched a new Community Initiatives program to impact more pets across Texas. The new program now offers affordable, accessible veterinary services to under-resourced communities and shelters in Texas and beyond.

According to Operation Kindness’ website, “While the organization has evolved since 1976, we have always remained committed to giving every animal the care and kindness they deserve.” Just last year, Operation Kindness used its impressive array of resources to provide second chances for thousands of pets across the region, and helping to facilitate more than 2,900 adoptions. Operation Kindness’ director of marketing and communication, Natalie Buxton, said that the organization’s strength is in its partnerships. “We actually have a really large range,” she says. “Operation Kindness works with more than 70 different rescue partners and other municipal agencies that have animals,” she told the North Texas eNews. “We work with some in Waco and Austin, Oklahoma, and Louisiana as well. Some of our largest partners are some of the big shelters in the region like Dallas Animal Services.”

As part of that outreach and partnership, Operation Kindness often takes animals from other area shelters that are experiencing overcrowding, and the organization is proud to accept animals who are ailing or injured because they have the ability to care for them at their full-service veterinary clinic.

Buxton estimates that Operation Kindness performs more than 1,000 medical exams at the shelter each month, and says that they can handle everything from serious illnesses to surgery. Buxton says that if Operation Kindness can do something to help animals find a healthy, happy life, they will.

And Operation Kindness does not limit its services to homeless animals, but also provides resources to pets that already have homes, but might be in situations where their human families are struggling. Thanks to a food pantry, they make sure that no animal needs to go hungry, and because they have a dedicated veterinarian, they can help with basic care to community animals in need.

Operation Kindness will be represented on the runway by a model wearing a creation by Soho Muse designer Victor de Souza. New York-based De Souza, who originally hails from Argentina, practices sustainability by creating timeless pieces with quality and care reminiscent of traditional couture. His “Conscious Couture” is a lifestyle that is committed to beauty, integrity, being set apart as well as conscious production. De Souza’s pieces are truly timeless creations that can be passed down from one generation to the next. ■

Sponsor: TBD / operationkindness.org