August Update

Well, Big Fix 6 was a smashing success. I think our team altered, vaccinated, and microchipped over 175 animals that day. It was horribly hot and humid, but so worth it.

Speaking of horribly hot and humid, that's exactly how I would describe the indoor adoption event in July. It actually felt like a sauna, and it made both the dogs and the humans miserable. You actually had to go OUTSIDE to cool off. Not ok.

Fosters available for adoption right now: Camilla, Eduardo, Clara, Freddie, Stanford, Geneva, and Tyler.

Sadly, Tyler's home fell through and even more sad - he tested positive for heartworms tonight. Also, several of the dogs have a cough that seems to be pretty contagious. Sigh. Kinda feels like our dog world is caving in on us right now. We'll get through it, though. We always do.

Upcoming SNIPSA Events

Saturday, July 17
Indoor Adoption Event

Saturday, July 24
Big Fix Spay & Neuter Clinic

More details to follow...

Big Fix #5

Tyler, a Big Fix veteran!

Coming Saturday, May 8, 2010 @ Holy Rosary. Block-walking this Sunday. Let the madness begin!

In Like a Lion, Out Like a Lamb

Joaquin the day he went home


Perhaps this is true for the March weather, but with our schedule getting busier it seems we are going out like a lion.

Joaquin and Nacho went to their forever homes. Sammy is going home today. We have a new house guest, Frederick. He was a stray Adam picked up yesterday at the Big Fix.

We had a successful event at the Big Fix altering 148 animals and vaccinating and microchipping them as well. It was a very long day as usual, but well worth it. Next one is coming up in May.

March Madness

Not the basketball sort. This month is flying by as usual. We had a pretty successful adoption event last weekend. Joaquin went to his forever home, and we have good leads on Nacho, Teddy, and Sammy boy.

We are going to a doggy birthday party this Saturday, which should be a blast. I am excited to take my Mason out to play with new doggy friends. We should probably go get the guest of honor a doggy present for her birthday.

On Sunday we are block-walking to paper the neighborhood where we are doing our next free spay & neuter clinic. We will take registrations if we see people outside; hopefully the weather cooperates and it is not super hot or rainy. The next Big Fix is on Saturday, March 27 at the Beacon Hill Presbyterian church.

I think we are also getting a new houseguest for awhile. Hank the Weimaraner will be staying with us while his mommy is deployed. I'm guessing he will love having lots of new friends to play with.

Dasher had his second FHO to repair his other hip. He is such an incredible trooper and never "complains" about anything. He should be ready to go to a forever home soon.

Finally, Tyler is now in his new foster home. He has regained the weight he lost at the sanctuary, and he is very happy with his foster mommy. We hope to make permanent plans for him soon.

Community Resources

Steps to Search for Animal Owners:

1. Search the area where you found the animals for "lost animal" signs.
2. Place signs within a minimum of two-miles where you found the animal.
3. If the animal is wearing a rabies tag call the veterinarian's office listed and give them the number; they will be able to give you the owner's information.
4. Take the animal to a veterinarian or rescue organization to have it scanned for a microchip. Be sure to ask the place if their scanner is universal or chip brand specific. It will be important to find a universal scanner.
5. Take the animal or pictures of the animal to veterinarian offices surrounding the areas where they were found. Ask if they recognize the animal as a client. Also check their bulletin boards for missing animals.
6. Call Man & Beast to report a lost animal (210) 590-7387, look on Craigslist, look at SApets.com for lost pets, look in the newspaper, check and post on sadoglist.com, and any other resources you may be able to turn up. You can also place a free ad in the San Antonio Express News for found animals.

Other Resources:

Animal Defense League
www.adltexas.org
210-655-1481

Human Society/SPCA of Bexar County
www.sahumane.org
210-226-7461

Animal Friends Humane Society
210-509-3647

Animal Welfare Society of Bandera County
830-535-4920

Canyon Lake Animal Shelter, Inc.
830-905-7387

Cute & Cuddlie Animal Welfare Society
210-681-3529

Helotes Humane Society
210-422-6242

Love for Paws Rescue
LoveForPawsRescue.com

Muttmums Canine Rescue
830-755-8058

Southern Animal Rescue Association (SARA)
830-401-0280

Stray Cat Adoptions of Texas (SCAT)
210-363-8010

Alamo Area Partners for Animal Welfare (AAPAW)
www.aapaw.org
Click on 'organizations' to view a list of additional resources.

Search for local Purebred Rescues ie Bully Breed Rescues

Spay & Neuter Resources

SpaySA
www.animalresource.org
210-351-SPAY (7729)

Spay Neuter Assistance Program (SNAP)
www.snapus.org
210-673-7722

Animal Defense League
www.adltexas.org
210-655-1481

AAA Low Cost Spay-Neuter Hospital
210-349-8248

Hill Country Animal League/SPCA
210-827-1300
boernepets.com

Low Cost Vaccination Clinic
210-653-3660
lowcostvacc.com

Own Up SA
www.ownupsa.com

Animal Cruelty

ACS Animal Cruelty Tip Line
210-287-2778

Big Fix 2010

2010 is going to be a great year for SNIPSA spay & neuter outreach in the community. SNIPSA will host six free spay & neuter clinics this year. It will save countless animal lives from being needlessly wasted. Spaying and neutering is one of the key components of a No-Kill San Antonio.

The Big Fix, Round 2

Who: SNIPSA

What: Free Spay & Neuter Clinic

Where: St. Bonaventure Church, San Antonio, TX

When: Saturday, October 3 @ 7 am

Why: We are offering free services to an area where strays are most prevalent in the city.

How: This event is made possible by the efforts of dozens of volunteers committed to improving life of animals in the Alamo City. We have pre-registered 100 animals, and we are ready to rock & roll on Saturday!

The Big Fix - a Great Success!

The rescue organization we primarily work with held their first ever free clinic yesterday. It was a tremendous success! There were tons of committed volunteers on hand to make sure everything went smoothly. It was totally nuts and busy for 16 hours, but I loved every second of it. They originally planned to do 75 surgeries, but they did 106. We just couldn't say no to the walk-ups.

They altered the animals, vaccinated them, and microchipped them. San Antonio is the worst city in the country for euthanizing healthy dogs and cats (strays), and we held the clinic in the worst district in the city who represent the most euthanizations in town. Cra

Adam is also the local rep for a national anti-chaining organization (Dogs Deserve Better), and he got someone to surrender four chained-up rotties who were at the clinic. They all belonged to the same woman; they were just things to her. Sadly, two of them are heartworm positive. They are all already accepted into our rescue program, so they will receive all the medical attention they need. They are our new project. One of them, Wally, even came home with us. He is the sweetest boy ever; he is a rare red Rottie. Pictures to come soon.

The Big Fix

Tomorrow SNIPSA is hosting a free spay and neuter clinic at St. Bonaventure church for people in the 78244 zip code; I believe that's district four and the district that has the most animals euthanized. Last Sunday, May 3rd, we distributed about 300 flyers to the neighborhood near the church. That's in addition to the 200 flyers Shannon and Becky distributed a few days before that. 700 flyers went out to the church congregation that same Sunday.

During the week I translated consent forms and discharge forms. Last night I made thirty-five reminder calls. They will be performing about 100 surgeries tomorrow in addition to giving rabies vaccinations and micro-chipping.

I am so excited to be part of this event. Hopefully there will be many more events like it in the future for SNIPSA. It is a huge undertaking and a very admirable one at that.

In similar news, someone anonymously donated $600,000 to the city for spay and neuter clinics. That's 12,000 surgeries. It is not a cure-all by any means, but it really warms my heart to hear about that. Some people do care.