Ace Azcona is working to give at-risk dogs a second chance.
UTA alumna Azcona is the president and founder of Ace’s Place Animal Rescue, a nonprofit organization working to rescue dogs facing medical and behavioral challenges from local shelters around the Metroplex to find them foster and permanent homes.
Azcona said she aims to ensure fosters have access to a dedicated support team and necessary supplies. The organization provides free training, medical care, food, crates and support. Ace’s Place receives funding from donors in addition to funding platforms like CUDDLY, the largest online fundraising platform for animal welfare organizations.
The organization accepts all dog breeds four weeks and up, typically housing 15 to 20 dogs at a time.
Ace’s Place primarily relies on social networking, mainly Facebook, to find dogs in need. People can visit the Ace’s Place Facebook page or their website to adopt or foster.
Azcona started the nonprofit in 2021 after she and her husband began fostering dogs from a rescue. She said they struggled with a lack of food, supplies and support and noticed others had similar experiences fostering dogs.
“People weren’t going to want to foster. They weren’t going to want to help if they were being treated this way too,” Azcona said. “We wanted to make a rescue that was very supportive to fosters, even if that meant that we had to be smaller.”
The organization has eight main volunteers who handle various roles, including medical directors, event coordinators and foster coordinators. Some volunteers focus on providing emotional support to the foster dogs, helping them navigate challenges, especially during the first few nights.
Jamie Gowin, UTA alumna and event coordinator for Ace’s Place, missed working with animals when she was a veterinary technician. That’s when she found the organization and began volunteering.
As a coordinator, Gowin connects people to meet and play with dogs, encouraging them to adopt or foster.
“We’re all friends, there’s camaraderie. We’re always there to support each other,” Gowin said. “I feel like when you don't have that kind of infighting or power struggle within the team, it really benefits the dogs, because that’s what you’re focusing on at the end of the day.”
After two years of working for Ace’s Place, Gowin said she has seen significant growth in the organization, with more people adopting dogs, an increase in foster families and more traffic across their website.
On one occasion, Gowin said they worked with three sister pups with littermate syndrome. Initially, they were very introverted and relied on each other for comfort, but over time, they became independent.
“It’s really hard to adopt three dogs out at once, especially in the same home,” Gowin said. “So Ace really worked hard on those three, and right now, two out of those three have been adopted into their own homes, living their best life.”
Azcona said Ace’s Place hopes to one day help educate and fund more on spayed, neutered, microchipped and vaccinated to make a difference in creative ways. The organization aims to fund training sessions, cover pet deposit fees and help people afford mental health care for emotional support animals.
She said she wants to leave an impact on the community and to her, that means personally knowing every single foster. With over 200 dogs already placed in great homes, the most important thing for Azcona continues to be finding fosters their permanent homes.
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