Ramone Orozco

 

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DENTON, Texas. The morning starts the same way for Ramone Orozco: a walk down the kennel hallway at the Linda McNatt Animal Care and Adoption Center. Dogs rise to greet him as they hear the sounds of his boots walking down in slow strides. He pats their heads one by one as they wag their tails in excitement, and exchanges glances with the staff.

 It’s just another day at work for the animal services supervisor, but the mission behind each step is personal.  To Orozco, this is his second home, a place where he spends most of his day. His presence is familiar and reassuring. Orozco, a lifelong Denton resident, has worked at the shelter for nearly a decade.  In that time, he’s seen it grow, struggle, and adapt. He started as a shelter service assistant, answering calls and handling emergencies. From late-night rescue calls to overcrowded kennels, he’s witnessed an eye-opening reality of animal welfare. Now, he’s working to transform the shelter not just structurally through planned expansions, but culturally, as a more active and compassionate part of the Denton community.

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“My goal in life is to help people,” Orozco said. “I love helping animals. I love helping people. And to do it in the community I grew up in means everything.”

Orozco, who started as a beginner service assistant, now leads several initiatives in the shelter, from responding to calls to immediate actions for animal cruelty. Orozco expressed how this is work can be emotionally taxing, and he always needs help wherever possible.

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The shelter is currently preparing for a major expansion, funded by a voter-approved bond. Orozco said the goal is to make the shelter more functional and efficient, especially when it comes to caring for animals in a timely way. The expansion will open room to add more kennels, proper ventilation, and a designated medical area for better long-term care. “We’re doing everything we can to help these animals,” he said. “At some point, they’ll find their home.”

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Orozco’s love for animals started young, a little boy's dream to have all the furry friends and more. He’d sometimes bring home stray dogs, and spent hours watching Animal Planet. He once thought about becoming a veterinarian because it felt so natural to him to care for animals. As he grew up, Orozco had a slight pivot towards that career aspiration. He quickly realized he wasn’t able to perform as well in a traditional learning environment. He found another way by working directly in animal services. That care instinct never left. Inspired by shows like “Animal Cops: Houston,” he applied for a job with the city. He’s been here ever since. What started as curiosity is now a driver to be a support system for animals.

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“I get joy from seeing a dog leave with a family,” he said. “Especially with children, and seeing that spark start with them for their love of animals.”

Kayla Herrod, Director of Marketing, says, “People like Ramone and our staff are what drives the shelter and keeps it healthy from day to day.”

Orozco has adopted two dogs over the course of his time working in the shelter.  He adopted an adorable little dog from the last of its litter, and the other was a stressed-out return who wasn’t coping in the shelter. Both dogs live at Orozco’s home, reminding him of what’s possible. He describes his two dogs as “unofficial coworkers,” always sitting by the door and happy to see him return home.  But not every adoption story comes easily.

The shelter often struggles to find homes for large dogs, particularly poorly treated pit bulls. Smaller dogs are usually adopted quickly, but pit bulls face stereotypes and breed restrictions, especially in apartments. Denton’s large student population adds another layer to the challenge, and he is doing his best to work through that.

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“Younger people have the energy to keep up with these dogs,” Orozco said. “But they’re the ones being told they can’t have them.” Pet policies in apartments and insurance restrictions often exclude pit bulls, despite their bright personalities. Notwithstanding, Orozco and his team keep pushing to get the support for these dogs. Social media campaigns, adoption events, and special programs like “clear the shelter” adoptions are just a few ways the team tries to boost visibility. Walking back and forth through the shelter, Orozco continues to light up as he talks about all the great plans and resources they put together for the animals.

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"Ramone is an amazing member of our team," said Nikki Sassenus, Director of Animal Services. "He is someone everyone can count on." She continued to express her gratitude for his effective leadership and for constantly coordinating logistics for the shelter. One of the team's recent success stories was Roley, a bulldog mix who stayed at the shelter for months. With help from a partner rescue, Roley was flown to Colorado and adopted by a loving family.

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“Everyone went out to the airport to say goodbye,” Orozco said. “We all cried.” He paused for a moment and smiled as he remembered that day.

The staff at the shelter develops a close connection with the long-term animal residents, and they know all their quirks, habits, and favorite treats. The staff do their best to show up every day to be a joy to these animals, and when they leave, it’s exciting, Orozco expressed.

Orozco’s vision goes beyond individual adoptions. He wants the shelter to become a leader in North Texas, not just in animal care but in community service. That includes restarting paused programs that help unhoused people care for their pets and offering services like food and medical care to low-income pet owners.

“They love their animals probably more than anyone,” he said about Denton’s unhoused population. “We want to make sure they have the tools to take care of them.” He recalled a man who walked several miles each week to get free food for his aging chiwawa. “That kind of dedication to the well-being of an animal deserves all the support we can give,” Orozco said. 

During the pandemic, the shelter saw a flood of surrenders, as people who adopted pets in lockdown returned to work or encountered behavior problems. Orozco said the shelter went from housing 10 dogs in the winter to barely having enough space.

That’s when he and his team made changes. Now, the minute a dog completes its 72-hour stray hold, it’s made available for adoption. Staff often work late into the night, contacting rescues and organizing transfers. “Sometimes we’re here until 2 or 3 a.m. just emailing rescues,” the side that nobody sees, he said.

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Foster homes are sometimes helpful for dogs who are not doing well in stressful environments. He is working on a plan to connect and make that partnership with some of the local student organizations.

The shelter recently hired Bailey Coleson as a volunteer coordinator to help bring in and retain more helpers. Fosters, especially, can make a huge difference in helping dogs show their true personalities outside the shelter. “A dog in a foster home is a different animal,” Coleson said. “They’re calmer, more adoptable, and they thrive.” He added, “There is a lot of emotional toll on animals in a shelter. Giving them a home, even just for a while, can save their life.”

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To relieve some of the pressure, Orozco also wants to grow the shelter’s foster and volunteer programs. With a new coordinator on board, he hopes to engage more college students and longtime residents. “This is a college town,” he said. Students care. We just need to connect with them.”

Even in hard times, Orozco stays focused. After a controversial incident involving a dog named Gunner led to negative publicity on social media, he and his team kept working.

“You can’t control the narrative,” he said. “But if you put in the work, people see that.

 The work speaks for itself.” The team is doubling down on transparency of activities in the shelter, and continues to invite community members to come to see the facility. Orozco hopes Denton will become a model for what animal services can look like as a resource, not just a holding facility.

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“This shouldn’t be the place animals end up,” he said. “It should be the place where they begin again.” He doesn’t care about awards or attention. For him, it’s simple.

“I don’t need recognition,” Orozco said. “As long as I know we’re making a difference, that’s what matters.”

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Orozco brought a good energy as he talked about his experience and whether he is being confronted by a scared or wounded dog, or mentoring new staff, or just walking through the hallway, he is smiling and full of passion. His commitment is clear in the way he talks about every animal and wants people to know this is important work.

Back in the hallway as the afternoon grows, Orozco pauses at a kennel with a new arrival, scared and shivering. He squats to its level and slowly gives a gentle head rub. Orozco, looks up from the ground and said, “This is the best part of my day.”