Meet Jennifer Baptista | Cofounder and Chairman of the Board for Fostering Empowerment through Canine Help (FETCH)

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jennifer Baptista and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jennifer, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Thought process behind starting our NONPROFIT:

One of the other cofounders, Lindsey Hardman, and I worked with Dexter and Ginger Morin – trainers and co-owners of Paws in Hand Canine Consulting in Pilot Point, TX – with our own dogs. We started with basic obedience training soon after we rescued our dogs and then joined their very first therapy dog program course with their encouragement. While doing this program and then taking our newly certified therapy dogs to the VA hospital, DFW Airport, local schools and businesses, etc, a passion really grew from physically seeing the joy and healing that dogs can bring to those that need it. This then led to us starting to bounce around ideas with Dexter and Ginger of how we could create a nonprofit that used dogs to help people.

Dexter and Ginger had mentioned to us a few times how they had some women reach out to their organization that would really benefit from a psychiatric service dog (PSD). These women had been through some extremely traumatic experiences, and a PSD could really help them in their healing as well as just being out in the world in their everyday lives. However, when you start talking about the cost of a PSD, this isn’t always an easy pill to swallow – especially depending upon what types of situations they are coming out of and you are already trying to get back on your feet again, often times all on your own.

Enter 2020 and COVID-19. Not only did we all have some extra time on our hands being stuck at home, but we saw things like domestic abuse rates jump while others were also stuck at home (Texas Monthly noted a 20% increase in domestic violence reports to the Dallas PD after the stay-at-home orders) as well as more and more isolation from others and society. Lindsey, Dexter, Ginger and I brainstormed. What if we created Fostering Empowerment through Canine Help (FETCH) – a nonprofit organization that would raise money to fund the selection and training of these PSDs for women in DFW who have experienced abuse or trauma so that they can begin or continue to heal and thrive in the world? We planned to keep recipients limited to living in the DFW area for proximity to our organization and trainers and to keep down the cost (no travel for the trainers, etc). We brought in our other cofounder, Emily Stein, who Lindsey volunteers with in another service dog nonprofit and FETCH was born in December of 2020 with the help of Paws in Hands and some other volunteers with more experience in the nonprofit world.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I know when we first came up with the idea to provide this financial support for PSDs for women here locally that have gone through trauma or abuse, we started searching to see if there were other organizations here or even elsewhere doing the same thing. As far as we could find, there really weren’t. We found many organizations that were doing this for veterans and have learned of a few along the way that are doing it for those struggling with mental health, but nothing specifically for women. In our research, we learned that female trauma survivors are twice as likely to develop PTSD (American Psychological Association) – along with MANY other unsettling statistics pertaining to women regarding sexual assault, intimate partner violence, domestic violence, and human trafficking – and just decided this was where we could help most and make a difference. Several times I have heard people that find out about us say they haven’t ever seen any other organizations really doing what we are or that they wish there had been an organization like ours around when they were going through their own healing journey which just confirms that we are doing what we are meant to do.

Another thing I love about our organization is that our board and volunteer coordinators are all women – Women helping women. We absolutely have the support of and welcome men to be a part of this organization, but it’s just really neat to see how this group of really strong, talented women has come together to build something for other women.

Despite COVID’s best efforts to make life difficult for us all, we were able to eventually get our 501(c)3 status, build out our application process and contracts, and begin fundraising over the first couple of years. It took a village. We are so grateful for those that volunteered their time and knowledge to help us through this process and to all our donors during that time and always.

In August and September of 2022, we were able to select our very first two recipients and fund our first PSDs with Paws in Hand Canine Consulting as trainers. As of this month (June 2023), both dog and handler teams have successfully tested out of the program with Paws in Hand and have begun their journeys together! Joy (a female German Shepherd) was our first dog, and Quade (a male black and white Parti Poodle) was our second. We are so excited for these amazing women to experience life with these pups!

Has this journey for FETCH been easy? No way. We experience frustrations, growing pains, unexpected obstacles, all the things. But we remind ourselves everyday that the blood, sweat, and tears (lots of tears when you hear the stories of the women that need these dogs) are worth it, even if we help just one more person…because we get to help change the trajectory of someone’s life for the better.

Check out our blog at https://fetchdfw.org/blog to learn more about Joy, Quade, and all the causes we support at FETCH!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I am not the kind of gal that enjoys really hanging out in downtown Dallas or driving out to Fort Worth which is part of why I live in the suburbs north of Dallas in Frisco. However, there is so much to do up in this area as well as we are growing like crazy so I don’t have to go very far!

If you enjoy sports, I would say catch a FC Dallas soccer (or futbol) game at Toyota Stadium (as well as the National Soccer Hall of Fame) or watch the minor league baseball Frisco Rough Riders at Dr. Pepper Ballpark. The new PGA of America complex is also now open and looks pretty amazing. Of course, you need to check out The Star where the Dallas Cowboys headquarters and practice facility is.

While you are at The Star, there are so many great restaurants and bars you will want to make sure to check out. Some of my favorites ar Tupelo Honey, The Common Table, Sushi Marquee, and Dee Lincoln Prime. If you are there at night and looking for something fun to do, go grab cocktails at The Monarch Stag or Snowbird Cocktail Lounge & Kitchen or head over to Pete’s Dueling Piano Bar.

If you enjoy being outside, you can always head up to Little Elm and check out their sandy public beach. Arbor Hills Nature Preserve towards the north border of Plano is also great with some beautiful scenery and trails. Catch an outdoor concert at Lava Cantina or the big stage at Grandscape in The Colony.

If you are at Grandscape, also check out the ginormous Scheels sporting goods store that boasts 331,000 square feet and a giant indoor ferris wheel as well as the Andretti Indoor Karting and Games venue. A couple of my favorite spots to eat in Grandscape are Seven Doors Kitchen & Cocktails and Thirsty Lion Gastropub. Nearby if you want to eat outside is Truck Yard and The Shacks Dining & Dog Park (if you have a furry friend with you this is perfect!)

One other area that I really enjoy spending time in is Legacy West. There is lots of great shopping there to walk around and check out. They have Legacy Food Hall which is essentially a super artisanal food “court.” Sometimes there is live music at Legacy Hall as well. Other spots in Legacy West to get great food include Haywire, Mesero, Bulla Gastrobar, Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steak House, and Earl’s Kitchen + Bar.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
This shoutout most definitely belongs to Dexter and Ginger Morin of Paws in Hand Canine Consulting.

Without the encouragement they gave Lindsey and me throughout the therapy dog training process with our own dogs that created a love of serving others through our dogs…

Without the care they have for their clients to help them above all else – including a large paycheck (While there are many in their industry and related dog industries that unfortunately do it for all the WRONG reasons, Ginger has described what they do as “a labor of love” and to me, that’s 100% accurate) …

Without their support in helping us navigate the creation of this nonprofit organization and their network of people they’ve met while in this industry…

Without their encouragement when things weren’t easy, reminding us that what we were doing was worth all the hours and sweat and tears and that we were truly going to make a difference for someone…

Without their willingness to take on our first and second service dogs and recipients of them for months on end, spending hours to ensure the dog and their new handler would be successful…

…there would be NO FETCH.

Unfortunately for the great state of Texas – and for FETCH – we are losing these amazing individuals to a pretty incredible training opportunity they’ve been given in Arizona. But we will always welcome them back here to Texas – and to FETCH – if they find themselves here again.

Website: www.fetchdfw.org

Instagram: FETCHDFW

Linkedin: FETCH DFW

Facebook: FETCHDFW

Image Credits
Creare Design Studio (noted on formal picture)