When the SPCA of Texas pulled back on its assistance to abused animals and then shuttered its spay/neuter clinic in southern Dallas, Operation Kindness CEO Ed Jamison leapt into action.
The result of Jamison’s resolve is the non-profit’s new Lifesaving Partnerships Hub at 1771 Terre Colony Court — an 8,000-square-foot leased facility located in a former car dealership near Interstate 30 and North Westmoreland Road, about halfway between Dallas Animal Services (DAS) and the SPCA headquarters.
Previously, the Carrollton-based, Operation Kindness no-kill shelter had been looking to put its new Partnerships Hub in the Redbird area, Jamison said.
“We weren’t planning on being right here, until we realized there were some gaps that needed to be filled,” Jamison said, a little after he and Meredith Jones, the non-profit’s Chief Community Initiatives Officer, unveiled the new facility’s signage at an event on Saturday, September 16.
“We had planned to go further into southern Dallas with our plan, but you can’t go there while DAS still needs help,” he said. “So, in February, we really shifted where we were going to go.”
The new facility, which Jamison said will be reconfigured in a seven-figure project bankrolled by Operation Kindness and local donors, will have multiple functions.
Besides offering veterinary/surgical support for partner rescue groups pulling animals from DAS, increasing its lifesaving rate, the building will serve as a hub for the non-profit’s Interstate Animal Transport program and the forensics partnership between Operation Kindness and Dallas.
It will also serve as the southern hub for the non-profit’s pet food pantry, as well as the headquarters for Operation Kindness’ Community Initiatives program.
Among those attending the September 16 unveiling were animal-loving philanthropists Jan and Trevor Rees-Jones. According to newspaper reports, Jan had been a leading financial benefactor of the SPCA of Texas.
Jamison, who served as director of DAS before joining Operation Kindness in 2021, said the new Partnerships Hub should double the number of animals that can leave DAS care over time, “which is the No. 1 goal of this building.”
He also said its location is an example of how non-profits need to be able “to pivot” as circumstances evolve.
“The animal world changes all the time,” he said. “You have to be able to adjust.
“A lot of the situations we see, they don’t actually revolve around the animal — they revolve around the human with the animal,” he said. “We find if we give support to the human beings, we’re having a lot more success. They love their animals — it’s a matter of resources and access to care.”
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