Today we’d like to introduce you to Trachelle Hilton-King
Hi Trachelle, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I have a deep love and empathy for animals, always have. I became involved in animal welfare nearly 20 years ago when I answered an ad in the paper to volunteer to take photos of dogs and cats in shelters who needed homes. The excitement these animals displayed when I took them out of their kennels for photos broke me. The disappointment they showed upon being returned to their kennels was something I carried with me. I always left the shelters in tears.
More needs to be done. I became a foster parent for local rescues to help ease the burden on our shelters and give dogs a chance to decompress. They don’t always show well in the shelter environment. It is crowded, stressful, noisy, and they are scared. I have a special affinity for senior dogs. To date, my family and I have fostered 19 senior hospice cases, called fospice by those of us in rescue. These gentle, old souls are not adopted. Many are dumped by families they’ve been with most of their lives. The reasons vary: a death and the extended family won’t take them in, changes in housing, changes in health, owners going in to assisted living. The reasons really don’t matter. It’s a heartbreaking situation and these old souls deserve to live out whatever time they have left being loved, cared for, and cherished. There are no happy endings in fospice. The animals live out whatever time they have with me and my family. It is soul-crushing when they pass and I vow never to do it again. Usually within hours, someone tags me on a senior dumped in a shelter and the cycle begins again.
Street Dawg Crew began in 2016, and I was asked by a stranger to join their board. I had previously volunteered for a pet food outreach in another city and I was well-versed in what the need was. Margie Varela co-founded the organization after seeing unsheltered people with dogs near her place of work. She wondered how they were feeding the animals and began taking small bags full of food to hand out on her way to work. In 2023, we distributed over 90,000 pounds of dog and cat food. To say we have grown is an understatement. The need is so great, especially in the current economic turmoil we live in. We meet every other Sunday at Pioneer Park in downtown SLC to hand out dog and cat food, treats, litter, collars, leashes, toys, and harnesses. We hold free vaccine clinics 1-3 times per year. We also promote responsible pet ownership, which means facilitating low-cost spay/neuter appointments. We partner with other like-minded organizations for supplies and vet appointments. We are entirely volunteer. Street Dawg Crew consists of 3 women and an incredible board. I work full-time as a Development Director for a nonprofit and took over as Director of Street Dawg Crew when Margie retired in May of 2024. Since we have no stream of income and our pet food pantry is free of charge, I spend a lot of my time soliciting donations, writing grants, and budgeting our resources to help as many people as possible. We are incredibly fortunate to have the support of so many animal lovers. MetLife Pet Insurance funded our purchase of an outreach van in 2024, which has changed the trajectory of our work.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There. Is. So. Much. Heartbreak. Animal welfare is not for the faint of heart. The stories we hear and the situations we encounter break us, weekly. We don’t have the resources to help everyone, and it is devastating to have to choose who to help. Every animal deserves the best we can give, but the reality is we are confined to what we can afford to do.
COVID decimated our volunteer base. We lost so many people who didn’t come back when the restrictions lifted. The supply chain issues left us without enough food to distribute and we were forced to cut back, focusing on the unsheltered in Salt Lake City. Donations have dropped with this tough economy. Requests for assistance have skyrocketed as people are hanging on by their fingernails to survive.
A giant hurdle for us is that we are volunteers. I work a full-time job AND run Street Dawg Crew. Most of my weekends are tied up moving thousands of pounds of pet food, bagging pet food, and preparing for out pet food pantry outreach. It is a huge commitment.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Creativity is good for the soul. I think outside the box and am solution-oriented in my thinking. I had a business for 10 years, a flower shop, that served hundreds of people and donated thousands of dollars of products to my community. I quickly realized that good-intentioned people can make an incredible difference. I am a firm believer that kindness changes the world, and I am determined to make my community better by serving where there is a need. Empathy and the ability to see people living in the margins is so important. Until we work together, our world will continue to be unfair to so many people.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
People in animal welfare are a special breed. We are determined, fiercely loyal, protective, driven, a little crazy, and so passionate. I have had a number of mentors along the way, people I trust and look up to. They include Marti Russell with Hope’s Rescue, Paws For Life and Cathy Borusch, Lisa with CAWS, Richell Gubler with Angel Paws Veterinary Clinic, Jill Wicks of MetLife Insurance, and countless others who foster, transport, donate, advocate, and do good. They showed me that even though rescue work feels like emptying the ocean a teaspoon at a time, it DOES make a difference. These animals NEED us. My husband, Berk, has been my biggest cheerleader and fan. What began as a foster dog, morphed into transporting, fostering 19 hospice dogs to date, and taking on Street Dawg Crew. He is so patient, hard-working, and keeps me grounded when I feel overwhelmed, which is quite frequently! I am very fortunate to have the help of Amy Simpson and Tracy Grisler. Amy keeps our books in order and Tracy spends hours picking up supplies and helping to keep things organized. Both are huge animal lovers and choose to spend their free time helping Street Dawg Crew Pawsitively Impact Pets.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.streetdawgcrew.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/streetdawgcrew/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StreetDawgCrew/
