About us
Dauntless Rescue Inc is a non-profit 501(c)3, DBA The Street Dog Project that focuses primarily on rescuing dogs directly from the streets of Dallas, TX.
The Street Dog Project is comprised of a small group of volunteers who are passionate about saving street dogs. The project began when vulnerable, homeless pets in the Dallas area, truly needed us the most. Our goal is to reduce the street dog population through rescue, placement and outreach.
Since 2016 we’ve rescued hundreds of dogs from the streets and found them loving homes. We rely on our team members, neighborhood communities and our social media community for support to help us continue to bring awareness to the stray, abused, neglected, and homeless dogs in the Dallas area.
Our rescues start with rescuing an elusive dog from the streets. Sometimes Samaritans notify us about dogs that need to be rescued, and sometimes we find these dogs on our own. In most cases, they are hurt, malnourished, scared, or in danger of being hit by oncoming traffic. These search and rescue mission can take days, weeks, or even months but our team never gives up on a mission or a dog.
Upon rescue, dogs are taken straight to the vet, so they can be scanned for a microchip and a vet can attend to any emergency medical needs. Life on the streets is tough so a lot of the dogs we take in have medical needs that go beyond the norm. Heart-worm, mange, leg and eye injuries are some of the most common medical conditions we encounter.
Dallas has thousands of street dogs and our goal is to save as many as possible. We hope to raise awareness for the street dogs who just need a chance.
Our team
Nicole Bush
co-president
Nicole is a co- founder of The Street Dog Project and is currently serving as Co-President of the group. She has been involved in rescue for 10 years but didn’t realize her heart for shy street dogs until 2010. Little did she know when she and Aaron adopted Lilly, a shy, scared Saint Bernard ,their lives would be forever changed. Always having an interest in the medical field Nicole was able to combine her passions when she took over the medical department for Duck Team 6. She served on the board of directors for Duck Team 6 as well and brings experience and compassion to TSDP.
Nicole has found that working with shy dogs is one of the most rewarding experiences and is passionate that shy dogs be given an opportunity to blossom into loving members of a family. “Seeing a dog that has no reason to trust a human slowly begin to accept us, it just changes you”. Her love of street dogs has spread to family and friends too.
Nicole lives with her husband Aaron and their rescue dogs, Lilly, Ellie, Shaggy and Scooby. When she is not doing rescue work she can be found mountain biking out on the trail, making her fellow board members very nervous.
Rekka Melby
Co-President
Rekka is a co-founder of The Street Dog Project and is currently serving as Co-President of the group. Her early volunteering was with a local shelter, walking/socializing dogs but in 2010, she went on her first street dog rescue and was hooked when a momma dog led the volunteers to her puppies, hidden under the floorboards of an abandoned house.
Rekka became an active volunteer with Take Me Home Pet Rescue and her passion for saving street dogs reached a whole new level in 2011, when a dog named Norah entered her life. Someone circulated a plea for help with Norah's photo right before a rare ice storm struck Dallas. Rekka and JP learned that Norah had lived in a drainage ditch along the interstate for four years (that's how long folks said they'd been feeding her). They spent months trying to rescue the elusive Norah and were finally able to save her after finding her newborn puppies hidden in the bushes of a nearby church. After hearing how long Norah had been on the streets, a lot of folks theorized she would be feral but within a few weeks, she quickly became Rekka's shadow and heart dog. We hope Norah's story of survival helps inspire more people to give shy and elusive street dogs a chance at a better life. There are few feelings better than being part of all the "firsts" when a shy dog starts coming around.
In 2012, Rekka co-founded Duck Team 6, the first street dog rescue in Dallas. She served in roles of Vice President from 2012-2014 and President in 2015 and then left to co-found The Street Dog Project. She has helped with hundreds of captures over the years and enjoys sharing what she's learned with new volunteers and Good Samaritans so more people will be equipped to save the street dogs that cross their path.
Caley Roth
director
Caley is currently serving as Director and Medical Lead of The Street Dog Project. She found her way into rescue in 2018 when she and her husband found an abused, stray dog and set about trying to find a rescue to help. It was during this time she really realized how bad the homeless pet population is in Texas and realized she wanted to do more to help.
Caley started as a foster but became more involved when extra help was needed on the medical team. She found she really enjoyed this aspect of rescue and has since taken on the role of Medical Lead. She finds it very rewarding to be able to be part of helping an injured or sick dog get the medical care they might not have otherwise received and go on to find a loving family of their own once they are healthy. She also really enjoys street capture and trapping elusive dogs.
Caley lives with her husband Jon, dogs Jenner, Bella, and Hazel, and often a foster dog as well!
Sheli Steinert
Treasurer
Sheli is a co-founder of The Street Dog Project and is currently serving as Treasurer. Sheli was previously heavily involved with Duck Team 6, she set up and ran the outreach program which served hundreds of dogs and their families.
Samantha Mikesell
Secretary
Sam is serving as Secretary for The Street Dog Project. She found TSDP when she saw a plea to help a dog as risk of being euthanized at a local shelter because she had mange. Sam and her husband, Matt, knew this dog needed a chance and didn’t deserve to be put down just because she had a treatable skin condition. Shadow was their first foster dog and their way of joining the team! Since joining the team Sam has been able to experience first hand what it is like to rescue dogs from the streets. She has seen the impact that TSDP has on the community and the importance of the relationships that have been built with our outreach partners. Sam has a rescue dog, whom she lovingly refers to as her sweet southern gentleman, Porter. Porter has a fur sibling of the feline variety named Skeeter, also a rescue. When not spending time with dogs, Sam can be found spending time outdoors, trying different restaurants and recipes, and spending time with family and friends.