SAN ANTONIO – The 53rd Big Fix spay-neuter event was hosted by Spay-Neuter-Inject-Protect San Antonio (SNIPSA) and their partners Animal Care Services, San Antonio Fire Department, and H-E-B.
Kennels filled with dogs and cats, either waiting or recovering from their “big fix,” filled the gym and hallway of the Fire Station Academy on Callaghan Road.
“We go out and spay and neuter hundreds of animals in a single day, and it’s called the Big Fix,” said Shannon Espy, executive director of SNIPSA.
From morning until night, the medical team will spay and neuter roughly 450 animals in a single day.
Another 600 are on a waiting list. This event is only open to people living in specific ZIP codes.
“Animal Care Services has targeted and identified those ZIP codes so that they are high need, and then we come to those neighborhoods so people can come out on a Saturday, make it convenient with less barrier,” Espy said.
Those ZIP codes are; 78201, 78202, 78203, 78204, 78207, 78210, 78211, 78214, 78220, 78221, 78223, 78225, 78227, 78228, 78237, 78242.
It’s the 53rd “Big Fix” event hosted by SNIPSA, ACS, SAFD and HEB. Today over 450 animals were spayed and neutered. It’s a key strategy in controlling the overpopulation on the streets. @ksatnews pic.twitter.com/Wlypf3c4T0
— Leigh Waldman (@LeighWaldman) May 8, 2022
Aside from spaying and neutering, animals are vaccinated and microchipped.
These are services Antonio Meza is thankful for when it comes to taking care of his four dogs.
“These are my service dogs, so I have to take care of them, and then they’re like my kids,” Meza said.
This is the 53rd Big Fix that SNIPSA has put on.
Mother/daughter duo Marika Austad and Veronika Kiklevich came in from Alabama, but they’ve been a part of this project since 2009.
“I’m a veterinarian, so I’m taking off testicles and taking out ovaries,” Kiklevich said.
“We don’t have anything like this in Birmingham, and so we feel like this is our way that we can help, you know, the overpopulation problem and still be involved with this awesome work,” Austad said.
While some of the signs displayed around might make you giggle or blush, the work being done is essential.
“Spay and neuter your pets, vaccinate your pets. You help save lives. Your one animal really does matter,” Espy said.
While SNIPSA’s Big Fix is free, they’re looking for donations and volunteers to help host more events in the future.
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