Our Neighbor
Cynthia Izaguirre reports
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We all know North Texans who are making a difference in our community. Here at Channel 8, we celebrate these men and women. This time, we meet our area's own "Ace Ventura" - a woman who has an insatiable love for animals and a strong desire to help them.
Mary Spencer is the kind of volunteer all non-profit agencies could only hope for. Since 1992, she has been helping the SPCA of Texas place animals in loving homes.
"I get so much enjoyment out of knowing that these little creatures - amongst all of the other ones - might not have made it without a second chance," she said, cradling two brown-and-white kittens that she took in from a shelter outside Dallas. They had been dumped.
Spencer rescued another cat, "Ross," from the middle of the street about 15 pounds ago. She will rescue animals from anywhere - whether it's from the SPCA, shelters, the street - as long as they need a home, she'll help them.
Many of the animals Spencer helps are sick. She rehabilitates them at her home before she uses the SPCA to get them adopted.
Spencer is not only a foster mom and board member, but she chairs the building campaign for the SPCA's future site in Dallas, and she does it all for free.
"We can't save the world; we can't save the tens of thousands of animals that enter our shelters; but you can make a difference with a few," said SPCA of Texas president James Bias. "In her case, her 'few' has been several hundred."
That total includes two dogs and two cats Spencer kept for herself. She says her hope is that whatever species or breed you are looking for, you can find it at a local shelter and save a life.
"I think if everybody took a little bit of the effort that she's taking, our shelters would not be euthanizing the number of animals our shelters are having to put to sleep," Bias said.
Through her work with the SPCA, Mary Spencer is the voice for animals who cannot speak for themselves. She's working hard to find homeless pets a loving family of their own.
The SPCA of Texas is funded by the generosity of the community. Right now there is a critical need for monetary donations.
If you know someone we can profile in a future 'Our Neighbor' report, contact me at the e-mail address below.
