Española Humane surpassed its goal of altering 75 dogs and cats for free on Tuesday in honor of World Spay Day, demonstrating the clinic’s commitment to its motto of the “Little Shelter that Could.” The clinic, located north of Santa Fe, achieved a new milestone, altering 78 animals in a single day.

For the staff and volunteers, the accomplishment goes beyond numbers; it’s about the pets and the people who love them. “It’s the thing to do,” said Julie Phillip from Lindrith, a hamlet about 90 minutes from Española. Phillip, who has previously had pets altered at the shelter, brought in two dogs, Dillion and Suzie, rescued from the Jicarilla Apache Reservation near Cuba. She emphasized the importance of spaying and neutering pets and praised the shelter’s can-do attitude.

Dora Montano, the clinic’s manager, highlighted the significance of the event in raising community awareness. “It helps so the animals don’t get overpopulated but lets people know that animals are important,” she said. “People need to know that help is out there for everyone.”

The majority of the residents who participated came from Rio Arriba County, about 70 percent, with others coming from Taos, Santa Fe, and San Miguel counties. The city of Española issued a proclamation designating the day as World Spay Day, encouraging the community to participate in the event.

Three veterinarians and numerous veterinary technicians, support staff, and volunteers collaborated for the surgeries. The shelter also received support from Pecos People for Animal Welfare Society, which lent a mobile spay/neuter clinic to increase the number of surgeries.

Carol Ho, the clinic director, praised the coordination of the various teams. “The veterinarians are just amazing,” she said. “The way they can take care of all these animals so quickly and send them home with a positive outlook on life. It makes a difference in our community and helps for a healthy pet population.”

Chandra Lilly, a shelter veterinarian, emphasized the importance of the event in raising awareness about the shelter’s services. “This is more for awareness,” she said, “to let the community know we are here and that we have the capability to do a lot of spaying and neutering for free.”

In the mobile unit, Tom Parker, the shelter’s medical director, estimated he’s probably participated in well over 100 large spay events. Such events help to energize communities to get the message out that spaying is critical for pet owners.

“It’s more than the numbers,” he said. “The numbers are great, but it’s to try to get the people to appreciate the importance of it. Once a family does this, they are more invested in the care of the animal. The animal is going to stay home and it’s going to be calmer and have a longer life. Having the owner’s buy-in is really important.”

In addition to free spaying and neutering, the shelter also offers age-appropriate vaccinations and microchipping at the time of surgery – all for free.

Spay Day, as well as all of free surgeries, vaccinations and microchips are sponsored through Española Humane’s donations and grants. Core vaccinations, which stop the spread of parvovirus and distemper in dogs and panleukopenia in cats, are provided through Petco Love vaccination initiative.

For more information, visit the shelter’s website at www.espanolahumane.org or call the clinic at 505-753-8662, Ext. 112.