Shelter’s Edge

Nothing gets our goosebumps bumping like the coming together of two organizations to help animals in communities that desperately need assistance.

In August, the ASPCA’s National Spay/Neuter Project (NSNP) team worked with the Colorado Animal Welfare League (CAWL) to operate six days of back-to-back MASH-style clinics, serving the Native American Navajo and Ute tribes. Together, they sterilized 235 animals on three reservations – each in a different state.

Myles Chadwick, the ASPCA’s NSNP Operations Manager, says: “The Four Corners seal sits over the point where Colorado, Arizona, Utah and New Mexico meet. When you are standing over the seal, you are actually in all 4 states at the same time. The coolest part was that we performed surgery in 3 of them!”

NSNP Operations Manager Myles Chadwick painted a vivid picture of the conditions his team encountered: “These Native American reservations are dramatically underserved areas; there are stray packs of dogs and horses running wild in the streets.”

CAWL had been providing no-cost spay/neuter clinics to these tribes on a monthly basis for more than a year. In need of extra hands, they invited the NSNP team to help them with everything from surgery prep to outreach. The ASPCA was psyched for the chance to learn from CAWL’s model and improve their own MASH-style rural area/reservation clinic.

One heckuva team: From left to right: Holly Winters (CAWL), Liz Peach (ASPCA), Shelby Davis (ASPCA), Nicole Kresse (on floor, ASPCA), Amanda Griffin (CAWL), Jennifer Bolser (CAWL), Myles Chadwick (ASPCA)

So just how do folks living on a reservation hear about these clinics? CAWL has developed relationships with community liaisons to help promote each clinic in the weeks leading up to their arrival. At each clinic, they make lists of people who want appointments during their next visit. “During our trip I made appointments for over 300 animals – in addition to the ones we got on that trip!” says Myles.

And of course, a giant “Free Spay/Neuter Surgery” sign on a store window helps to draw a crowd, too! The first stop on the S/N journey was Chinle, AZ, where the team took over an empty store front – next to the town’s only grocery store – for two days of surgeries.

Just in case you were worried that the team got lonely out there, have no fear. Niko was happy to keep them company.

“Niko was a stray who CAWL rescued, neutered and sent to foster. He loved us and followed us everywhere once we gained his trust,” Myles tells us.

Next up was Shiprock, NM, where for two days, a school gym became a surgical site:

"CAWL relies heavily on the animal control officers to help them navigate and gain the trust of the communities. In addition to the animals brought in by their owners in the morning, CAWL sent out a representative with the local officer to offer to bring people's animals to the clinic and return them at the end of the day. This enabled them to reach the ‘high-hanging fruit,’”says Myles.

And then it was on to Tawaoc, CO, for their third and final reservation visit. Outside, the animals had quite the view in their holding area…And were then escorted inside the Tawaoc Animal Shelter for their surgeries.

“For the 235 surgeries, we had one vet for 5 of the days and 2 vets for one of the days,” says Myles.

Outside the shelter, you can see a sunset shot of Fida, an Airstream trailer. “It’s a fully functional surgery suite (though we did not use it for surgery on this trip). This is what we transported things in,” says Myles.

Fida: Packed

So what did the ASPCA team take away after working with CAWL’s model? According to Myles, a whole lot:

“We learned about making inroads into a community – a world, really, that was not our own. Their methods for going the extra mile in order to help the most animals were remarkable. One of the most effective tools they use is offering to pick up and drop off people’s pets. This method of outreach enabled us to help a lot of dogs who never would have made it otherwise. Most of the MASH models in which our team had participated prior to this one had crates and kennels stored on-site for holding and recovering animals. The CAWL model has to pack in every single thing they may need, and then pack it all up and take it with them. If they forget something that they need, they are likely hours from the nearest facility that can provide a replacement. It was a lot of work, but it was pretty amazing to watch our clinic sites transform from empty spaces into fully functional clinics and then back into empty spaces again.”

Who were the biggest beneficiaries of this awesome collaboration between the ASPCA and CAWL? Well, that’s a no-brainer.

Puppies recovering from surgery in Tawaoc

Have you teamed up with another organization for mass S/N surgeries? Leave us a comment!

Related Links:
The ASPCA National Spay Neuter Project
Colorado Animal Welfare League
Spay/Neuter Webinars

Tags: collaboration, Colorado Animal Welfare League, MASH clinic, National Spay Neuter Project, Shelters helping Shelters, spay/neuter, teamwork, underserved community

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