Partnership for Animal Welfare serves Lincoln County and Mescalero Apache Reservation with low-cost spay-neuter services. Initially, P.A.W. gave out 5 certificates to each veterinarian in Lincoln County, with each veterinarian “kicking in” one surgery also.
After years of cost-mitigating spay-neuter vouchers no longer available from the Humane Society of Lincoln County, those residents on government financial assistance could still ensure that their pets would not be adding to the already troublesome stray dog and cat populations.
P.A.W. began when Ellen Lucas and Sunny Aris, both of Ruidoso, decided the problem needed to be alleviated, and began soliciting funds. In the first year, P.A.W. provided funding for more than 400 surgeries for pets of low-income residents in the county, and for those on the reservation.
In 2009, Nancy Berg of Ruidoso became a director of P.A.W.
Dr. Lynn Willard, Ruidoso Animal Clinic, one of the vets supporting the program, wasn’t sure how many residents would use the program. He said he was delighted and overwhelmed by the response in the first year — when P.A.W. began on March 30, 2007, and funded almost 400 surgeries that year.
By the second year, 2008, P.A.W. had funded 1,300 surgeries for local dogs and cats. With the currently challenging economy, and the increased cost of spay and neuter services — as of January 2010, the total of pets spayed or neutered with the help of P.A.W. surpassed 3,000.
With the totals telescoping the huge response to this program, Willard’s office was contacted, and 575magazine.com queried Laura Herrera, who books most of the surgeries for the Ruidoso Animal Clinic.
“Early every month we are booked already for the next month,” Laura said. “People tell us they are so glad this program exists, because not only can they now afford to spay or neuter their pets, but can now afford to vaccinate them also. I suggest that they save up the current month for the $25 co-pay for the surgery, and next month for vaccinations, so they can do it all at once.
“We do more than 22 per month now, and P.A.W. started out at 5 per month. Since they dropped the government assistance requirements, we have a waiting list — but we get to them all.”
Dolores Bustamante, of Ruidoso Downs, was overjoyed and relieved when she heard about P.A.W. just this week, and arranged to have her cats spayed and neutered, using the program with her veterinarian, Dr. Becky Washburn, in Capitan.
“I am so happy to know about this program,” Bustamante said. “I hate having all these cats and kittens on my porch all the time, and have to keep my dogs locked up because they go after them.
“I love my cats but I just couldn’t afford even a hundred dollars an animal to get them fixed. Now I can get the cats spayed and neutered and not have to feel so guilty about all these kittens being killed at the pound anymore.”
Washburn summed up the P.A.W. program and its effects via cell phone, with her other hand busy inside an ailing bovine: “Because of P.A.W., we now have many pets spayed or neutered, who then are also vaccinated, because they can afford to do it, with the P.A.W. savings on the spays and neuters.
“This has been a real problem in the past, with so many diseases and parasites to which pets can be exposed, some of which can be transmitted to humans.
“Also, spaying and neutering reduces the chance of testicular cancer and other diseases, as well as keeping your pets at home, because they aren’t looking for mates anymore. It’s just the best way to really show you care about your pet — to have them spayed or neutered — and .of course, to have them all vaccinated. It’s just not fair for your pet to be a burden on the community!”
Ruidoso has for many years had a mandatory spay-neuter ordinance, which requires pet guardians without a kennel license to spay or neuter any dog or cat by the age of 6 months, or be subject to fines and/or penalties. Interestingly enough, while Ruidoso Downs has not had this ordinance in the past, the three Ruidoso Downs candidates, Dean Holman, Thomas Chavez, and former two-term mayor Bob Miller, all said in a candidate forum Monday that if elected, they would support a mandatory spay-neuter ordinance in Ruidoso Downs
"DEANO" one of 135 "Hoarded Cats of Hondo Valley" found in filthy trailer by Iris Farm, all surgeries funded by P.A.W. Deano is lovable and available for adoption at Kitty City,
in La Luz. 430-6014.
P.A.W. president Ellen Lucas is excited about the huge response to the program.
“The economy may be rough but thanks to supporters of our program P.A.W., we are able to offer low-cost spay/ neuter surgeries to everyone in our community,” she said. “The normal surgery costs are out of reach for many, but now affordable. Each surgery prevents thousands of unwanted births of puppies and kittens, many of whom end up euthanized in shelters or left abandoned to die. We offer the only low-cost spay/neuter program in Lincoln County and Mescalero. We are proud of it!"
To make a tax-deductible donation to Partnership for Animal Welfare, send a check made out to Community Foundation of Lincoln County/P.A.W. Mail donation to P.A.W., P.O. Box 75, Alto, N.M. 88312.