THE BIG FIX
a spay - neuter assistance project of the
Central Valley Coalition for Animals
Only 1 in 3 of these animals
will make it out of the shelter alive.
During 2010, California shelters in Madera, Fresno, Kings and Tulare Counties destroyed 30,000 dogs and 34,000 cats - more than 175 animals per day.
The only way to stop this tragedy is to
stop the birth of so many unwanted litters.
That is the aim of The Big Fix.
What We Do
The Big Fix is a targeted low cost spay/neuter assistance program in California's Central Valley - an area with the terrible distinction of having one of the highest per capita shelter kill rates in the nation. (In 2010, shelters in Madera, Fresno, Kings and Tulare Counties took in a total of 84,680 dogs and cats and 58,935 (70%) were destroyed. (For more information, go to our Shelter Statistics page.)
The Central Valley is a vast region of primarily rural agricultural land covering a geographic area of 14,314 square miles. The four county area hosts an estimated total population of 1,642,331 people, at least 20% of whom live below the poverty level. Residents face tremendous economic challenges as some of our communities also have among the highest unemployment rates in the nation.
Our shelters have been flooded with litters of puppies and kittens and unaltered animals which are found roaming the streets looking for breeding opportunities. Unfortunately, the Fresno Bee is regularly filled with advertisements offering puppies for sale, evidencing significant backyard breeding which is directly contributing to the extreme overpopulation of animals.
Many Central Valley veterinary hospitals charge high prices for spaying and neutering animal companions, making the cost of being a responsible pet guardian unaffordable.
The Big Fix is targeted. It has been repeatedly shown in areas all around our country that a targeted approach to spay/neuter assistance will directly impact shelter intake numbers. In our case, we work primarily in the rural communities where citizens are not able to take advantage of other spay/neuter support programs in existence. Most residents in these areas are on limited incomes and facing economic challenges. We work closely with Animal Control departments to identify key neighborhoods - areas where officers often pick up unaltered animals roaming to find breeding opportunities and where large numbers of litters are coming from. We also are in the shelters regularly, monitoring the type of dogs coming in. We then go door-to-door, where necessary, to offer assistance in getting pets fixed.
The Big Fix is low cost spay/neuter. We are proud to have partnerships with over 20 veterinary hospitals which have discounted their normal rates for our program.
The Big Fix offers assistance to responsible pet guardians who cannot otherwise afford the cost of spaying and neutering their dogs and cats. The guardian contributes a co-payment toward the cost of the surgery in an amount they can afford and The Big Fix pays the rest.
We have also launched our Forever Home Project of Central California in which we offer deep discounts to micro-chip Pit Bulls and Chihuahuas - the breeds of dog which are most prevelant in our shelters and therefore the most at risk of being destroyed.
The Big Fix began in January 2011 and, to date, we have helped to fix over 1,000 animals. The majority of these have been in and around Porterville and our efforts have dramatically changed the intake of animals in the Porterville shelter. Our aim is to make Porterville a "no kill" community and to help the thousands of other pet guardians in the rural communities of the Central Valley who desperately need help getting their animals fixed.
Will you please help us? Please make a donation now using Paypal or you can mail a donation to The Big Fix, 619 Woodworth Ave., #200, Clovis, CA 93612.
To find out more about how you can help The Big Fix, click here.
Thank you to our partners - the sponsors of The Big Fix!
The Big Fix is a project of the Central Valley Coalition for Animals, a nonprofit California corporation with IRC 501(c)(3) tax exempt status. Our tax identification number is 30-0019352.
Both The Big Fix and the Coalition are administered by volunteers. We have no paid staff, do not pay for fundraising and have minimal overhead expenses. Most expenses are paid out of pocket by the volunteer staff .
The Coalition was formed in 2002 with the aim of supporting Central Valley shelters and rescue groups.
Telephone:
(559) 681-4065
E-Mail: SAS4Dogs@wildblue.net
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