Meet The Team
Meet Phil Smith
I couldn't have been more than 8 or 9 when Simone first became part of our family and was soon the beginning of Dalmatian Rescue. Though I grew up in Upstate New York, I saw the love my mom had for Simone and her passion for rescue. I would spend my vacations from school helping out at home and at the kennel. I remember getting up before sunrise to help clean, feed, and bathe. While they were hardly the vacations I imagined, it was worth it all to see those wagging tails and happy faces. My career has brought me to Miami and I'm blessed to be closer to my mom. It has also brought me closer to Dalmatian Rescue. I'm happy to serve on the Board of Directors and be a Trustee while ensuring that these wonderful Dals get the safe and loving homes they so very much deserve. While my career is in fashion, I have parlayed my love for Dals to include getting work for these special dogs in the film industry. Since Bronco has found his way to my heart and home, I have a new best friend, and new outlook on being a grown up and I couldn't be happier. It's truly a blessing.
Meet Brenda Garcia our West Coast connection
Sometime in July of 2003 I was watching The Animal Planet. There was a very touching story about a lady who had to give up her two dogs that she could no longer care for. The adopting family of her two dogs lived three states over from her. The story was about how a rescue center of the breed was doing the transport. They followed the dogs from their owner through three states of many transfers to reach their new forever home and an awaiting loving family. It was a very touching story. Being the owner of two Dalmatians, my beloved Dana, 13 and my little deaf girl Bowie, almost 8, I thought that I could volunteer my services for something like that to Dalmatian Rescue. I went to my computer and typed in www.dalmatiamnrescue.com and up came a wonderful web page. I read Pati's statement and emailed her right away. I told her about my two girls and if there was ever anything I could do from the Tampa area just feel free to call on me. Two short weeks later I lost my beloved Dana to a lung tumor. I thought someone had cut my heart out. Both Bowie and I were lost. I again emailed Pati to tell her I didn't know that I would be writing so soon to tell her of my loss. Bowie was having a very hard time because Dana was everything to her. Not only her ears but her way of life. She was lost even going outside without Dana to follow. Pati told me to look over the Dals on the web site and let her know if I was interested in one. I inquired about three girls. One being a mix that I was attracted to. After discussing Shannon with Pati I knew she was the one for us. I drove to Miami the next day to pick up Shannon. She and Bowie acted as if they grew up together when we got home. I knew I had done the right thing. Shannon has been a blessing to the whole family. Well a year and a half later which was February of 2005 we lost Bowie to bone cancer. Please read Bowie's tribute on the web site. It had been some time since I talked to Pati but I once again emailed her to tell her of my loss. And ever since then I feel like a part of her family. Within the past 3 years I have adopted 4 more Dals from Pati and have been involved in many transfers from all locations to Miami. I have fostered Dals until a forever home became available for them and have been involved in some adoptions as well. These past 3 years have been very rewarding for me. I have just this year been given the honor of becoming a member of the Board of Directors with Dalmatian Rescue and look forward to many fulfilling experiences with the organization as a board member. I cannot express enough how good it feels to have spots in my heart and paw prints all over me.
Meet the McKinzey’s our northern connection………….
We are Michael and Alice McKinzey of Boynton Beach Florida your northern connection to Dalmatian Rescue. In 2003 we lost our beloved 16 year old Dal, "Adele", to cancer just before our move to Florida. After 2 years of an empty feeling house we decided it was time to fill it with the little dog hairs that are everywhere when you have a Dal...We decided that rather than get a dog from a breeder we would like to rescue a Dal in need. We found Dal Rescue on the internet and filled out an application to adopt. We then attended a spring event to meet the organization and see the Dals. 2 weeks later Pati called us with an opportunity to foster a Dal that had kennel cough. Since all her foster homes were full this little girl needed a place to recover. Well... as they say....20 minutes after she came to our house we fell in love with that liver spotted beauty. Her name is Madeline and she is the princess of the house. After finding Madeline and seeing the organization we wanted to get involved and do whatever we could to help Pati and the rest of the Dals. We have been transporting and fostering other Dals ever since. Although its hard to give them up we know that they are going to wonderful forever homes where they can live a happy life. In 2007 we adopted our 2nd Dal, a sweet deaf girl named Helen. We believe in this organization and its commitment to finding forever homes for this awesome breed. We look forward to serving in this organization with time and love for many years to come.
Michael@dalmatianrescue.com alice@dalmatianrescue.com
Meet Jim and Maria our West Coast connection………..
It all started with the movie, like everyone else I'm sure! Living in South Florida at the time we became aware of Dalmatian Rescue and Pati through the media. I always prayed she got the funds for the latest rescue, the dal that was left alone in an abandoned apt and chew off an electrical wire, the dal that was running loose in the turnpike. There were many stories about Pati and Dalmatians in need. I couldn't believe such a beautiful breed was in so much trouble.
We knew of Pati and her wonderful work with the Dalmatians long before she knew us. in 2000 we attended a Doggie wash and that was it for us, our Life was taken over by these wonderful white dogs with black spots! I didn't know it at the time but Pati has an amazing "eye" to match people and Dals and we were "Match" to a wonderful pair, Lola and Emerson! Lola was the perfect Dal but Emerson was a different story:( he was deaf and epileptic. He was so attached to Lola that Pati and Mark wanted to find a home together. a lot of people were interested in Lola but not Emerson, and so he sat in rescue...
We began volunteering in our day's off and Holidays, it was a wonderful feeling and hard work cleaning kennels and picking up "doggie gifts" the most rewarding moments looking at all those Dalmatians, so trusting and happily wagging their tails for a scratch behind the ears.
When we moved we were surprised by Mark and Pati with the amazing possibility of taking Lola and Emerson! We knew they were looking for a Special family, we didn't know it was us! Lola and Emerson came home with us, he had found his "furever home" and he knew it, he was 65 pounds and wanted to sit in my lap, if I lay down he wanted to be on top of me like he had seen my cat's do!
Finding Dalmatian Rescue and getting to know Mark and Pati has renewed our faith in people, I have loved and rescued strays all my life and is not always easy to keep the faith once you see such disregard for God's creature's.
For those of you looking for the perfect Dal companion, I have to tell you that Dalmatians are like potato chip's…… you can't have just one, or two, or three!
