Friends of El Paso Animal Services (Friends of EPAS), supported by the El Paso Community Foundation (EPCF), is excited to collaborate with El Paso Animal Services (EPAS) to host an upcoming Spring Fling Public No-Cost Spay and Neuter Event this March, and is in need of great support from sponsors and donors to help fund FREE spay and neuter services for over 350 owned pets.

Many pet parents cite the high cost of these surgeries as the primary barrier to spaying and neutering their animals. Participants in the spay and neuter event will not only receive the surgery, but also their age-appropriate vaccines and a microchip at no cost.

Friends of EPAS will bring in veterinary professionals from outside Texas to assist with the three-day event. Dr. Melia Washington will be leading the visiting team of 6 traveling to the Sun City to perform approximately 350 spay and neuter surgeries.

“I am incredibly honored to return to El Paso for the Spring Fling Spayathon! This will be my third time working alongside their amazing team in performing surgery,” she said. “My first visit to EPAS in 2022 left a lasting impression, and I have seen them grow and expand their services to now include public spay/neuter programs. This addition is crucial as it addresses the root cause of overpopulation. Our country, especially Texas, has been in crisis with the number of homeless animals, those being euthanized or abandoned, and the lack of affordable veterinary care.”

As Friends of EPAS strives to regularly increase access to spay/neuter services in our community, they will need the public’s support to help make events like this possible! The organization has launched the Spring Fling Spay-A-Thon Fundraiser and is looking for sponsors and individual donors to help fund the hundreds of surgeries that will be provided during the event. With each pet’s surgery and pet wellness services costing approximately $100, Friends of EPAS needs to raise $35,000 to fund the 350 pets they plan to serve during the Spay-A-Thon.

Pet overpopulation is a significant concern in the borderland region, with unwanted or unexpected litters contributing to over 25,000 pets entering local shelters and rescues in the last year alone. Spaying and neutering directly reduces overpopulation in our community and this event alone can prevent the birth of roughly 2,000 additional animals. By sponsoring even one surgery, you can help keep thousands of animals off the street in the future.

If you feel compelled to contribute, or wish to pay it forward after benefiting from low-cost or free services in the past, you can donate here. Sponsorship opportunities to support these critical efforts are also available.

“Access to affordable spay/neuter is very much needed in our community, and we are excited to help provide this opportunity to the residents of El Paso,” said Terry Kebschull, El Paso Animal Services Director. “Not only will this help reduce the overpopulation of pets in our community, but will also help our community’s pets stay healthier and safer.”

“This is the first event of its kind in the region, and it is a great cooperation among partners from many organizations who are committed to healthy animals,” Eric Pearson, President and CEO of El Paso Community Foundation, said.

For those in need of spay/neuter services, registration for surgeries will be announced soon! Stay updated by following Friends of EPAS, EPAS on Facebook and Instagram for additional details.

If you wish to support Friends of Animal Services’ No-Cost Spay and Neuter initiative, please visit: https://givebutter.com/spayathon.

These local organizations are committed to promoting responsible pet ownership, which includes spaying and neutering, microchipping, regular vaccinations, and compliance with legal care and shelter standards. They also want to remind El Pasoans to make adoption your only option! It’s important to note that there are no legal breeders in the El Paso area, and the shelter currently has over 650 adoptable dogs and hundreds of cats looking for loving homes.

About Friends of El Paso Animal Services:

Friends of EPAS was founded in 2017 by former City Representative Dr. Michiel Noe to support the goal of making El Paso Animal Services a no-kill shelter, knowing that the shelter would need tremendous philanthropic support to reach and sustain this life saving goal. Friends of EPAS is a foundation supported by the El Paso Community Foundation to bridge the gap between the city shelter and the animals in its care, providing innovative programs to help shelter animals find and stay in forever homes. Learn more at FriendsOfEPAS.org.

About El Paso Animal Services:

El Paso Animal Services is the only municipal shelter in the borderland region, and cares for over 23,000 lost, stray, homeless, and neglected pets that enter its care every year. What was once known as the ‘pound’ is now a lifesaving, community-centric organization not only caring for thousands of homeless pets every year, but also serves thousands of owned pets through a variety of community resources aimed at keeping pets and families together. Find out how you can help and join the lifesaving mission, visit ElPasoAnimalServices.org.