Taos Bark: Know your animal welfare organizations in 2017

Happy New Year! Here is an updated list of nonprofit animal organizations in the Taos area that give aide in our community.

This is a keeper, so print it out and use it for yourself and friends. Remember we will always take your puppies and give them safe and good homes.

Stray Hearts Animal Shelter

(575) 758-2981

strayhearts.org

Taos’ Stray Hearts provides humane care and shelter for abandoned and abused companion animals in the Taos area. Located at 1200 St. Francis Lane, it offers pet adoptions and other programs and services —as well as volunteer opportunities.

Taos Feral Feline Friends (TFFF)

(575) 737-9208

taosferalfelinefriends.tripod.com

TFFF was founded in June 2004 by Leanne Mitchell. She has more than 25 years of experience working with animal welfare organizations in Illinois and New Mexico. TFFF is unique: It is a 100 percent volunteer organization and operates the only facility in Northern New Mexico that rescues, shelters and relocates feral cats. In 2005, it initiated the area’s only trap, neuter and return program to assist outdoor cat caregivers by providing free spay/neuter surgeries, vet care and food for feral cats.

Through December 2015, it’s helped more than 3,500 cats. The TFFF mission is to prevent the inhumane treatment of stray and feral cats, stop unnecessary euthanasia of stray and feral cats and reduce the population of stray and feral cats.

TFFF encourages anyone feeding stray or feral cats to contact the organization to obtain free spay/neuter surgeries as soon as possible. Waiting only allows more cats to be born homeless. Time is running out to obtain these benefits. TFFF also lends out humane traps at no cost.

Four Corners Animal League

(575) 751-0150

Spay/neuter: (575) 741-1444

Animal emergencies: fcaleague@hotmail.com

fourcornersanimalleague.org

A nonprofit animal organization that offers spaying, neutering, educating, socializing, feeding, medical help, transferring and finding acceptable homes for animals that its finds and fosters. Four Corners Animal League (FCAL) works to ensure that every pet has a safe and loving home. It is reducing the population of unwanted dogs and cats through spaying, neutering and education programs, making this a safer community for all of us. FCAL has made a huge difference in the lives of thousands of animals in Taos Valley and beyond. Pet overpopulation is a staggering problem here in Taos and costs many animals their lives.

Planned Pethood Taos

(575) 613-4110

plannedpethoodtaos.org

Facebook: Planned Pethood Taos

Planned Pethood’s goal is to reduce the overpopulation and suffering of cats and dogs by helping provide free and low-cost spay/neuter services and information for Taos County.

It periodically hosts spay-neuter clinics in the Taos area that are open to all residents of Taos County. It also provides spay/neuter information and referrals to those seeking low-cost or no-cost spay/neuter for their animals.

Northern New Mexico Friends of Animals (NNMFOA)

NNMFOA helps abandoned and neglected animals mainly in the northern part of Taos County. They accept puppies for transfer to Colorado and sponsor local shot and microchip clinics. For more information, contact Jim Vaughn at (575) 779-5543, Gail Cisneros at (575) 586-0010 or Holly Howard at (575) 586-0784.

Zimmer Feline Foundation

(505) 466-1676

zimmer-foundation.org

Vouchers provide a free and convenient way for many low‐income individuals and households to fix their pet cats. The vouchers cover the complete cost to spay or neuter their cats and vaccinate them for rabies at any of its participating veterinary or spay/neuter clinics. Zimmer provides veterinary support for pet cats living in low‐income homes by providing them with free and local spay/neuter assistance through participating veterinary clinics and, in the event of a treatable medical emergency, with acute care assistance. By helping these cats keep their original homes, it reduces the number of orphaned cats and kittens that are given to shelters or abandoned outdoors to form or join feral cat colonies.

Through the acute veterinary care assistance program, your cat may receive up to $300 of veterinary assistance to treat an acute illness or injury (such as broken bones, bite wounds and infections). This is intended as a last resort for cats needing immediate veterinary attention and whose households cannot afford the cost.

Hernandez can be reached at taosbark@gmail.com or (575) 613-3448.