Wilson County Disaster Animal Response Team

The Country Music Cluster, one of the largest AKC Events in the state of TN., runs Thursday March 8 – Sunday March 11, 2018 at the Williamson Co Expo Center. WC DART will be onsite Saturday and Sunday from 10-3 pm, along with the DART/ AKC Reunite Trailer parked at the entryway, so all who enter can admire WC DART’s outstanding Grant from our Local AKC Groups!

C’mon out and enjoy the show, say Hello to the Team…It’s a lot of fun and it is a great way to say Thank You to the AKC for the Trailer Grant!

The DART AKC Reunite Trailer holds enough equipment to accommodate 100 Companion animals, in a disaster situation! Residents in TN and Wilson Co. can sleep soundly knowing our animals will be well taken care of,in the event of a disaster situation !

Joey Cooper, WEMA Director prvides the WCDART Team with 2way Radios! Captain Daniel Cowan programmed and gave an inservice on the Radios. The Team appreciates these Radios so much! Often disaster sites do not have cell service, making communication out in the field difficult. Now the Team can communicate more efficiently coordinating disaster response efforts. Thank you Director Cooper and Captain Cowan! They will be used at every training, deployment and events!

Happy New Year! What a great way to start off your 2018…. Attend the WC DART Orientation Meeting Thursday, January 18, 2018, 6:30 pm at the WEMA Training Center, 115 Oak Street, Lebanon Tn.  New volunteers and Seasoned Team Members are welcome to attend.

All you need is a love for animals and all the Training is provided! New volunteers, see what WC DART is all about, try it, you can do it!

WC DART Team member requirements:  Must be 18 years old or accompanied by a parent.  * Attend at least 4 Training Meetings annually  *  Must be Trustworthy, Dependable and have Integrity.

RSVP at: wcdart@yahoo.com

Sunday, December 3, 2017 is WC DART’s Christmas Party ! The Team is celebrating the end of a very active Dart Season at Los Compadres Mexican Restaurant on HWY 231 in Lebanon Tn. The fun starts with Dart-tails at 5:30 and Dinner at 6:00pm….there is a Dirty Santa Gift Exchange ($15 limit).

Gifts, Cash and Gift Cards will be accepted for our Special Friend and her family  in Rockport Texas. This year we adopted a family who lost everything during Hurricane Harvey. The Team worked with her on deployment and got to know and care about her, seeing first hand what she and her family have gone through, now back together, we want to help make their Christmas a little more special!

🎄Please RSVP to reserve your seat at the Table! Friends, Family and New Volunteers welcome!

WC DART is heading to Nashville. Our friends at New Leash on Life needed manpower assistance working at a Concession Stand Fundraiser at the Titans vs Ravens Game. Thank you to all the volunteers helping NLOL today!

Saturday September 16, 2017, WC DART held a fund raiser: Dog Wash at Tractor Supply in Lebanon,Tn. The Team washed dogs from 10 am – 2pm… Kim Bradley and Lora Holcomb, Groomers really gave the incoming dogs the royal treatment!   Some dogs never had a bath before this event. 

Thank you to all who came out to support WC DART after our deployment to Rockport Tx, and let us wash your dogs! I don’t know who had more fun…The Team or the Dogs!?!

Thank you to all the Volunteers who came out to make the Dog Wash a Success!

The WC DART Team was deployed to Rockport TX by a request from The Humane Society of the United States. The Team got the word to head out on 9/4/17 and departed WEMA Headquarters at 10:31 am, with the AKC Reunite WCDART Trailer in tow. CJ and Shea Hutsenpiller, Paula Applegate, Jo Jarvis, Myla Snyder and Julie Hutchison, WCDART Coordinator joined The HSUS already on the ground in Rockport,Tx

The WCDART Team assisted with Sheltering Operations, assisted in the Texas A&M Vet Clinic, went out in the city and surrounding counties searching for animals running at large, set up feeding stations, passed out dog food,cat food, bottled water and Gatorade and Resource phone numbers to assist the residents with available assistance.

Thursday August 10, 2017 WC DART members: Kim Bradley, Claudia Richardson, Nina Ground, Paula Applegate and Julie Hutchison spoke to the Eastern Star about WC DART’s deployments and disaster response. We had a fabulous meeting with fellowship and good conversation. They surprised us with a gift basket of much needed dog/cat toys and support! Thank you Eastern Star!

Lebanon’s Chapter of the Eastern Star, Rose Croix #95. Claudia Richardson, Photographer.

Thank you to the Seasoned Volunteers along with the New Volunteers and Instructors who spent the day Training with WC DART. The Day started off with K9 CPR and First Aid, Lora Holcomb WC DART Companion Animal Coordinator and Instructor put on an outstanding class! Kim Bradley, Equine/ Livestock Coordinator, taught Equine Handling and  the Horse Rescue Sling Demo. Some volunteers unfamiliar with horses got to apply halters and lead Roy, WC DART Volunteer Equine Member. Kim also demonstrated the Horse Rescue Sling.

Guest Instructor Constable Tom Dallas, Lafayette AC, + , taught Search and Rescue/Tracking/ Compass Navigation and Water Safety and Rescue Techniques!   What a fun filled day to learn a lot of rescue and response techniques! Thank you Tom and Leigh for joining WC DART’s Training Day!

The WC DART AKC Reunite Trailers were on site for equipment use and display.