Barbara Detmore - President

Barbara was born and raised in Queens, New York.  By her own admission, she got to Texas as fast as she could, making Duncanville her home in 1977.  She is very much involved in her church and her City, as well as in various organizations and social clubs within Duncanville, DeSoto and Cedar Hill.   

Barbara does not remember not having a pet of some sort in her home. Her first cat Irene was a stray, followed by other cats, several dogs, a ferrett, a rabbit, a rat, hampsters, fish and turtles. She and her husband John lovingly share their home with their cat Abbie, a grey tabby they adopted from our shelter 2 years ago.

Kathy Tracy - Vice President

Kathy was born and raised in Jamestown, NY. In 1982, she moved to Duncanville with her family (husband, Brad and their children, Molly & Toby) and they quickly made it their home. They are proud to be transplanted Texans!  Kathy has worked as a receptionist at Pet Medical Center of Duncanville since 2004 and previously served as Secretary of Friends of Tri-City Animal Shelter. As a child, Kathy’s family always included dogs and cats, and that tradition continues today. She can’t imagine a life without animals because they enrich our lives so much! Kathy and Brad share their home with 2 Golden Retrievers, “Buster” & “Bonnie” (Bonnie found her way to them through Tri-City Animal Shelter) and 2 Ragdoll cats, “Reiki” and “Indy”. They also look forward to visits from their Grand-daughter, Krysta – not to mention Grand-dog “Duke” and Grand-cats “Zappa” &”Ziggy”.

Donna Fuller, DVM - Director-Pet Medical Advisor

Dr. Fuller grew up in East Dallas, near White Rock Lake.  She had dogs and cats as a youngster and has had horses since she was fourteen.  Her interest in veterinary medicine came in high school, when she began researching alternate career choices to her first love of space and the astronaut program.  She attended Sul Ross State University and Sam Houston State University before transferring to Texas A&M after her first husband graduated from SHSU.  She was accepted into the School of Veterinary Medicine of TAMU the next year.  Her vet school class will gather for their 30 year reunion this September. A love of all kinds of animals has led to many personal pets over the years.  Cats, dogs, hamsters, gerbils, a hedgehog, a prairie dog, goats and horses have shared her home. She considers many of her patients extended furry family members, also.  Currently she has Lilli, a heeler mix whom she adopted from the shelter, Grits, a Pyrennes one of her clients gave her, two kitties: Tucker, a car-lot find (her husband Ozzie keeps collecting them from his dealership), and Nicky, adopted from the shelter.  She also has three horses and a goat whom she calls her lawn ornaments.

Linda Forsythe - Director-Education and Off-Site Adoptions

Linda was raised in Duncanville. She attended her first Duncanville basketball game at the age of two weeks and can't remember a time she didn't love basketball. Later she attended Midwestern State University where she received her BBA, North Texas for her MEd, UTA for additional certification, and Stephen F. Austin for the Humane Education course where she learned about at an international Delta Society conference. Through the years, she has attended many major animal conferences, walked in the first March on Washington for the animals, co-founded a small humane society, and has helped plan and organize conferences on the cycle of abuse—child abuse/animal abuse/adult violent behavior. After teaching near Wichita Falls, Linda taught at Reed Middle School—teaching in classrooms where she had been a student.  Linda now offers her services to community organizations.

Stacey Copeland - Director - Newsletter and Public Relations

Stacy has been a resident of Cedar Hill for over 10 years and really loves the community.  She is originally from Longview, where her family still lives, and moved to the DFW area in 1984 to attend UTA.  Since then, Stacey has earned both her Bachelor's Degree and Master's Degree in Technology Management. In 1993 was hired by Microsoft and spent the next 15 years in Customer Support, Management, & Sales & Marketing. With her marketing background, Stacey ensures the newsletter, social media and PR information is communicated to the the community for the Friends group.

Stacey, an avid dog lover, has always dreamed of working with animals. In 2008, she retired from Microsoft after 15 years of service with the goal of opening her own doggy day care facility. Since opening Camp Bow Wow, her understanding of dogs and their behavioral issues has changed. Her goal is to help pet parents understand how their behavior affects the way their pups react and why socialization and training are activities that should be ongoing throughout a dog's life. Stacey joined the Friends group to continue her support of the local shelter while ensuring all animals are cared for.  Her company is one of the Foster Families that takes in dogs from the shelter so they can be socialized with people and other dogs to improve their adoptability.  Her camp has fostered and adopted out 8 dogs over the past year.

Amy Stirman - Director - Events and Fundraisers

Amy is no stranger to our Tri-City area as she moved to Duncanville when she was 3 years of age and graduated from Duncanville High School. Amy graduated from the University of North Texas with a degree in Recreation and Leisure Studies. She returned to her home roots in Duncanville to work for the City's Convention & Visitors Bureau, a position that tapped Amy's creative ability in organizing many events. To further her career, Amy worked for various non-profit organizations for several years. When she decided it was time to come back to work at home, she was hired by the City of Duncanville as Recreation Superintendent, a position she has been serving well for over 6 years.

Amy enjoys staying very active within the community and in her profession. She likes to travel, hike, working out/running, playing tennis and golf, and being around her family. Amy's wonderful husband Todd is very supportive of her community endeavors. They have been married for over 3 years and have a Miniature Schnauzer named Schnapps, who they brought home just 3 days after their wedding.

In 2009 the Friends of Tri-City were preparing for their First Annual Gala and Amy, being the super volunteer that she is to many organizations, offered to help with sorting, cataloging and managing of the auction items. It was apparent that Amy was not only a devoted animal lover, but also that her talents and dedication were valuable to the Friends. Amy joined the Friends Board on which she serves as the Director of Events & Fundraisers.

Gil George - Director-Memberships & Volunteers

Gil is a long time resident of the Tri-City area, having moved to DeSoto with his wife, Kim, in the late 1980's. For over 25 years, Gil was vice president and broker of record for Center Management Company, a commercial real estate company, managing and leasing shopping centers in Texas, New Mexico, Louisiana, Georgia and Florida. Gil was also the principal and general partner in shopping center holdings in the DFW metropolitan area. Although semi-retired, he continues to consult with commercial real estate companies.

Gil has been active in community service in the DeSoto area for a number of years. He was the founding president of the city of DeSoto's Keep DeSoto Beautiful Committe as well as having been past president of the Heath Creek Neighborhood Association. Knowledgeable in xeriscapic landscaping and design, Gil spent eight years doing volunteer work as a landscape designer for city projects in DeSoto, including the new Desoto Police Department location. Married for 31 years, Gil and Kim share their home with their two canine companions, Lucky and Sunny. Gil other hobbies include slalom water skiing, hunting, fly fishing, and organic gardening.

Janet Hale - Coordinator-Feral Cat Program

Janet, a native Texan, was raised in Grand Prairie.  Cattle, horses, dogs, cats and other various “critters” have always been a part of her life.  Because of her experience and skill in riding horses, Janet was a member of, and named Queen of a competitive Horseback-riding  drill  team.   She married and raised her family in Oak Cliff, moving to Duncanville in 1986.  Last year Janet was introduced to our new Feral Cat Program, and she how holds the office of Coordinator – Feral Cat Program.  Janet makes a difference in this program “one cat at a time”.