Elizabeth Sender of Plano was the winner of $1000 and a three month supply of Frozen’ Dunkin' Coffee, after becoming the designated winner during a " FREEZE THE DAY”  Contest, on May 19, at the Shops at Legacy location of Dunkin' Donuts. 

Dunkin’ Donuts welcomed summer with new Frozen Dunkin’ Coffee, a permanent menu item introduced nationally at the beginning of May. To celebrate the newest coffee beverage, they helped one guest in the Dallas area “Freeze the Day with $1K” –  the one lucky winner was surprised at the Dunkin’ Donuts counter at 7:05 a.m. on May 19 with a special Freeze the Day themed prize pack, including the $1,000 check and a three month supply of Frozen Dunkin’ Coffee.

Hundreds of street dogs, former street dogs, and feral cats are benefitting from a recent donation of hundreds of pounds of food and other pet items, from Chewy.com. The pet products distributor recently opened a distribution center in Dallas, and last week they contacted Take Me Home Pet Rescue to help place usable products that had been damaged in shipping and couldn’t be sent to customers.

Vanessa Vandiver, of Take Me Home Pet Rescue, said they were thrilled to get the call. “They told us there were seven pallets of food and other items- we knew that could feed a lot of dogs and cats-- so we contacted our volunteers, rented a truck, organized a convoy of borrowed pick- ups, and headed out to load up,” she says.

Vanessa adds that the items are not out of date – they are mislabeled items, bags that may have been punctured or torn, or cans that were dented. “Our volunteers dropped everything to get there on Thursday, March 16, loading bags, cans and crates into our vehicles, with the help of the wonderful warehouse team at Chewy.com. We were able to get it distributed to rescue groups who needed it the next day.” Vanessa adds that the donations will be picked up from Chewy.com on a regular basis, and  TMHPR will facilitate distribution to rescue organizations and individuals who need pet food.

The donated food was taken to volunteers with four different groups in South Dallas, all of whom work to feed and rescue the large population of street dogs and feral cats that live in the neighborhoods. A portion was also stored at Paul Quinn College for later use.  The college is located in South Dallas and has been an advocate to solve the South Dallas street dog problem.

Astro, a former street dog who is now available for adoption at Take Me Home Pet Rescue, went along for the St. Patrick’s Day delivery. 

About Take Me Home Pet Rescue

Take Me Home Pet Rescue, located in Richardson, TX, is a 100% nonprofit organization committed to reducing homeless pet populations by vetting, fostering and placing dogs and cats in loving homes.  Since 2008, TMHPR has rescued over 3500 dogs and cats.  For the past several years, they have stepped up to take on some of the hardest cases—a mom dog raising puppies under a muddy shed; a small dog thrown from a bridge and left to die in a creek with broken legs; skeletal dogs foraging alongside busy streets -- these and more are dogs that have been abandoned in Dallas’ low- income Southern neighborhoods, left to starve, roam the streets, and produce more puppies.

TMHPR also pulls dogs from rural shelters with high euthanasia rates, and all rescued dogs and cats are sterilized, microchipped, and provided with necessary medical care before being adopted. Our rescued pets live in foster homes until adopted to experience the love of a family while waiting for their very own forever homes. Take Me Home Pet Rescue was founded by Elise Bissell, a former nurse at Parkland Hospital and founding member of the Richardson Animal Shelter's Advisory Commission.  TMHPR also runs a store front Pet Adoption Center, which is a multipurpose office, used for isolation for incoming dogs and cats and a place to hold weekend adoption events.  For more information, or to see adoptable pets, go to takemehomepetrescue.com  

Finding the right baby sitter or nanny is difficult- you want a person who fits in with your family routine, values, and energy level, and you want to know you can trust them with your children.  It’s especially challenging if you’ve just moved to a new city. To help the thousands of families moving to the Collin County area, College Nannies + Sitters + Tutors has developed a list of tips to help find summer or more permanent child care that parents can count on. The company is opening an Allen location on February 25.  

Hiring a Babysitter or Nanny

• Determine what type of nanny or sitter is best for your family: are you looking for a high- energy individual who will participate in games and sports or a quiet confidante who will read aloud to your book- loving daughter?  Do you seek a loving grandmotherly type who will hold your baby for hours at a time, or do you want someone who drive to the park to play? Each family and their children have their own unique needs and you want a caregiver who will be a good match and a role model to your children.

• Determine when you need nannies or sitters- on a consistent schedule, like after school every day or daytime in the summer? Or occasionally, for a Saturday night or school holidays?

• Have a Plan B in case your regular sitter or nanny falls sick or cannot make it at the last minute.  Do you have back up?

• Be clear about the duties you expect your nanny or sitter to do. Transport children in their car to practices, games and activities?  Cook and/or feed them meals?  Help with homework?

•  Whether you have a lot of experience with nannies/sitters or this is the first time you are looking to hire someone, you want to know that the person you are trusting to take care of your children is reliable. In-person interviews, national background checks, child care training and certifications (such as CPR/First Aid) and professional reference checks all are all recommended.

• If you hire a nanny directly, make sure you are aware of employment laws, including tax payroll implications requiring withholding from your employee’s pay, and employer taxes you will have to file as a household employer.

• To make your job easier, consider using a professional service, like College Nannies + Sitters +Tutors, that has already thoroughly vetted the sitters and nannies they hire. They will also work to find the best role model match for each family and provide back- up care in case of an emergency. The company also has an app that allows parents to book their favorite sitter in minutes. Since the caregivers are employed by College Nannies directly, all of the tax and insurance details, including liability and worker’s comp, are already taken care of.

College Nannies +Sitters + Tutors is opening a location in Allen to serve Collin County families, at 950 W. Stacy Road, Suite 170.  All are invited to an open house on Saturday, February 25 from 2:00 - 5:00 p.m., to learn more about their services and to meet some of the nannies and tutors, and to have the chance to win free babysitting and tutoring.  All babysitting takes place in individual family’s homes - the site will be used only for tutoring. Owners Amisha and Sanjiv Sinha, who live in Allen, opened their first location in Frisco, at 4350 W. Main Street, last year.   

The couple got involved with College Nannies +Sitters + Tutors after seeing first- hand the challenges of finding high - quality after- school and summer nannies, for their two daughters.  “We feel for the families because we have been there ourselves. We know how important it is to find childcare you can trust and be assured the caregiver is the right fit for your own family’s lifestyle and children’s personalities,” she says. “We interview and vet our nannies and baby sitters, as well as the families, to insure it’s a good match.”  She adds that her daughters, now teenagers, take advantage of the one-on- one tutoring options to supplement their classes.    For more information, go to Collegenanniesandtutors.com/allentx, call 469- 312- 5225 or email allentx@collegenannies.com.

National Coffee Day is September 29, and Dunkin’ Donuts is celebrating the holiday in Dallas / Fort Worth and throughout the country with a special coffee offer for its loyal guests, honoring the brand’s 66-year history. On National Coffee Day, Dunkin’ Donuts will offer guests a medium cup of its signature hot coffee for the special price of 66 cents.     Dunkin’ Donuts’ coffee heritage goes back 66 years, something no other leading restaurant brand can match.