Normally, Carol and Gary work in downtown Dallas and share in the care and feeding of the PrideRock animals. Normally their day starts around 6:30 a.m.. Gary makes his morning visit to all the animals to say good morning, pick up any pans that might be left out for the early morning eaters, and make sure everyone is set for the day. I say 'normally' here because Gary recently lost his job of 21 years and has not found suitable employment yet.

The hardest part of the day is when they have to leave their haven in the woods to make the drive to Dallas. get home around 6:00 p.m., if there are no errands to run. All the neighbors know when they get home because that's when the roaring and howling starts.

After a quick change of clothes and something to eat (if they're lucky), it's outside to do what they love best. Christine, Stefan, Samantha or Amy will usually be there each week night to get the food ready, which allows Gary and Carol to spend some time interacting with the animals, raising gates, and unlocking pens in preparation for feeding and clean up.

Carol does all the mowing on the property, so sometimes there's a little extra time for that in the summer along with watering all the flowers and newly planted shrubs. Carol also takes care of Carly, Harley, Apollo, Tinker and Bennie who are housed close to the wolves who Gary usually cleans up each evening before feeding as well. In the summer, Carly and Harley, who are not accustomed nor do they like the heat, stay in the house during the day and are brought out for a few hours in the evening for some exercise.

Apollo is always waiting one of them to play fetch with his Kong toy which is his treasure. We have decided that he never had a toy to play with before he came to PrideRock and now he won't let go of it.

The wolf pens consist of four separate areas for the four packs. They have large areas of dirt with covered patios which have to be hosed down each evening. They are fed a premium dog food and beef brisket bones once or twice a week. Like the cats, they don't eat as much in the summer. They are usually shedding their coats about this time so the fur is flying!

The primary cleanup with the cats occurs in the evenings after work and on the weekends with the help of a few dedicated volunteers. Cleanup for the cats involves several enclosures that have concrete floors which must be washed out. The other enclosures received more thought in the construction process and have plenty of dirt so that cleaning is not so intensive. Of course, each animal gets some personal attention and as much loving as possible.

Apache and Lakota, a pair of cougars rescued approximately seven years ago, are always ready for some special attention. They have turned out to be very affectionate and cougars during their time at PrideRock in spite of their abandonment by their previous owner. Apache is probably the oldest resident and has to have medication every day to alleviate any arthritic pain. Lakota was spayed last year so they are together once again in a new, bigger enclosure. Apache spends a lot of time swaying in his tire and we look forward to getting new hammocks in their pen soon.

(Update) Both Apache and Lakota have crossed the Rainbow Bridge and are waiting for us on the other side. They both passed away very peacefully of old age, knowing that they were loved.

After cleaning the cat pens and getting all the hugs and kisses possible, it's time to begin the routine feeding, to which they have become accustomed, right down to who gets fed first. Each cat has his own variation of the same diet, which consists of a beef/horse blend and chicken for the most part. The beef/horse meat is complete with vitamins and Oasis supplement is added to the chicken. In the summer they fast a couple of times a week as their appetites drop way off. It's just too hot to heat in the Texas summers!

Some of them take their time while others can't eat fast enough. Sophie, who is very spoiled anyway, likes to be hand-fed the last few bites by Gary, who patiently sits with her and complies with her wishes. Although the new pans are much harder to make tacos out of, they have to be picked up pretty quickly or there is lots of banging and trying to pull off the chains. They definitely keep us on the run each evening. Usually either Christine, Stefan, Samantha, Becca or Amy assist with picking up the pans, get them washed out good, and set them out to dry in preparation for the next day's feeding.

Carol and Gary usually get in around 10:00 or 10:30 and try if they didn't eat first, to grab a quick bite. "The important thing is all the wonderful animals of PrideRock are full and happy, and feel very loved", Carol says. "Considering our devotion and love for them, this effort on our part is well worth it, and it is our mission to see that it will continue for many years to come."