Join us for ‘Cinco Dog MeowO,’ this Saturday!
No-Kill Animal Shelter to Host ‘Cinco Dog MeowO’ Adoption Event at White Sands Mall
Adoptable Pets, Low-Cost Spay-Neuter registrations, Service Dog Demos, Instant I.D. tags, Raffles, Vendors
Animal Village NM, New Mexico’s largest No-Kill animal shelter, is partnering again with Alamogordo’s White Sands Mall, Saturday, May 5th, to bring ‘Cinco Dog MeoO’, a homeless pet supportive event to New Mexico’s community of animal lovers.
“We love offering help to New Mexico’s pet-loving community...” explained Sunny Aris, director of Animal Village NM-, and this one has it all! We’ll be offering 2-for-1 dog and cat adoptions to approved applicants all through the month of May, and during this event, we’ll waive our $25 application fee. Applications that have not been submitted prior to the event will be processed next week, and those approved will be invited out to meet the pets of their choice.”
Lisa Yehle is excited about another helpful program for area pet guardians in need. Lisa is the Volunteer Coordinator for AVNM’s partner program, P.A.W., Partnership for Animal Welfare, offering $45 spay-neuter surgeries to low income pet guardians in Otero and Lincoln County. “Lisa’s booth is always popular, because so many people are struggling financially in our area, and simply cannot afford hundreds of dollars for spay neuter services,” explained Nancy Berg, Animal Village NM co-founder. “Our P.A.W. program has run on donations only, without salaries or office expense, since 2007, and with the help of Ruidoso Animal Clinic, and now Alamogordo Animal Hospital, we’ve helped to provide more than 7,000 surgeries. This naturally makes a big dent in the numbers of pets being destroyed at the animal control facilities,” Ms. Berg continued.
Animal Village NM is really excited that they are now partnering with excellent K-9 trainer, PHD, Pets and Helping Dogs, and trainer Lukas Nathaniel. “So many people on base and in the community need help from service dogs, support dogs, and basic in-home training, but we receive requests for help of this kind all the time, and have had no one to refer...” added Animal Village NM director, Sunny Aris. “With Lukas here now in the area, being so highly skilled and educated, it’s not only helping our shelter dogs, but our community- not all behavior issues can be handled in a public place, many just have to be handled in the home where they occur. Lukas fills that need.”
To help raise funding for the care of their dozens of adoptable dogs and cats, this Saturday’s ‘Cinco Dog MeowO’ event also offers attendees the opportunity to bring used shoes and boots for the shelter’s year-round shoe drive, which helps indigent people around the world, as well as shelter pets. The no-kill shelter staff also asks attendees to bring pet food of all kinds for their free pet food bank, for area pet guardians struggling to feed their pets. “We mix it into a rescue mix, so that different grades of food are all blended. This reduces stomach upsets for those who need help again,” explains Vanessa Guerrero, office staff.
A partial list of the vendors now committed to participate at the first annual ‘Cinco Dog MeowO’ adoption event include PHD Pets and Helping Dogs, Service Dog and K-9 Training, Sierra Club, Rio Grande Chapter, Pat Papson Farmer's Insurance with Pet Health Insurance, P.A.W. Program Low-cost $45 Spay-Neuter Registrations, Bill Garza for Sheriff, DNA BioBanking for humans & animals, Happy Elf Clean Service, Holdridge Enterprises Appliance Repair & Sales, Manuel's Unique Hand Crafted Decor, Instant Custom Pet I.D. Tags. Albertson’s Market will also be in attendance, sponsoring the event and rolling out their new grain free pet food, with event samples and other pet goodies.
“We were so thrilled for Animal Village NM, who won our New Mexico area ‘Favorite
Rescue Contest,’ because we know there is such a need for no-kill animal shelters, and they need so much help to keep the doors open,” enthused Samantha Hoover, Loyalty Project Manager for Albertson’s Market. In addition to a $1,000. donation earlier this year, Albertson’s also offered help with the ‘Cinco Dog MeowO’ event, in the form of advertising the shelter’s pets at their check-stands during the month of May. Albertson’s will be handing out pet guardian goody bags, including samples of their new grain-free pet food, Open Nature® Pet Food.
“There will be lots going on in a fast-paced 4 hours, so everyone should get to the White Sands Mall early, so they don’t miss anything!” according to Sunny Aris, Animal Village NM.
Here’s the agenda provided by Animal Village NM: 2-Fer-1 Pet Adoptions (approved applicants only) pay only the higher of the 2 adoption fees, during the month of May. Dozens of dogs and cats will be visiting on rotating basis Huge Plant Sale will feature Native Night Blooming Cacti, Salsa gardens, Salad gardens, Herb gardens, Flowers, all in grow bags, as a fundraiser for the care of adoptable pets at Animal Village NM. Door prizes, 50/50 and other raffles Free raffle tickets will be offered to anyone who brings more than 10 pairs of unneeded shoes or boots, or a bag or case of dog or cat food (any brand but Ol’ Roy or Alpo). Volunteer sign-ups
A kissing photo booth will be available for pet lovers to take a photo with Animal Village NM mascot, “Lunchbox McGee,” a bulldog rescued from a puppy mill in Dona Ana County. “McGee is an instant hit with children and adults alike, and everyone loved him at the Santa Paws event at the White Sands Mall, in December,” laughed Sunny Aris. “He loves it, and HAFB DIY queen, Katie Perschbacher, is designing a very cool Cinco Dog MeowO backdrop, which will be a hoot! $1 a kiss, and photos with McGee will be emailed to the bulldog’s kissing partners.
P.A.W., Partnership for Animal Welfare, the Low-cost spay-neuter program that operates at Animal Village NM MWF, 2-4pm, will be on hand with information about the program. Area residents who bring vaccination records and income verification (the program serves those with a total family income of $30,000 or less) can sign up for $45 spay neuter surgeries. “The staggering costs of picking up and housing stray pets, transporting them and euthanizing many, will end only one way,” says Lisa Yehle, P.A.W. representative. “That is by spaying and neutering all pets in the area. This program helps so many people in Otero County and Lincoln County, it’s part of the big answer to a huge problem!”
According to Animal Protection of New Mexico, *135,000 dogs and cats enter animal control facilities in NM every year. Animal Village NM and P.A.W. try to help with the solution, with New Mexico rated one of the **poorest states in America.
“We’re proud to be partnering with Animal Village NM again, for another lifesaving event,”
enthuses Idajean Mangum, White Sands Mall manager. Idajean actually came up with the name for the event, and she sent it to me in a Facebook PM in the wee hours, because she knows I work the night shift,” laughed Sunny Aris. “Idajean gets all the credit, everyone loves the name, lol!” Idajean continued, “...our preiouvs events with AVNM were so much fun- we’re really looking forward to the ‘Cinco Dog MeowO’ adoption event this Saturday!”
The event will be held inside the mall, at the main entrance. The public is asked not to bring personal pets to this event. Only service pets are allowed to this event, as there will be many adoptable pets walking the venue.
Saturday, May 5th, 2018
Hours: 10 a.m.- 2 p.m.
Address: White Sands Mall, 3900 White Sands Blvd., Alamogordo, NM. 88310
For more information visit AnimalVillageNM.org, or the Events page at Animal Village NM, at https://www.facebook.com/events/213911722535272/
