Rally for the Valley

Rio Grande Valley, Texas - International NGO Animal Balance, in partnership with Palm Valley Animal Society (PVAS) in Edinburg, and the Humane Society of Harlingen (HSH), are excited to announce the first “Rally for the Valley,” a four-day, targeted spay/neuter effort, to be held July 29 - Aug 1, 2021. Rally for the Valley is an effort to reduce the shelter spay/neuter backlog and provide humane cat and dog population control measures to communities in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas. The current collective spay/neuter backlog for the two shelters is approximately 1,200 animals, and the combined annual intake for both organizations is over 30,000 cats and dogs. Animal Balance plans to recruit teams of specialists in high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter, including veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and skilled volunteers, to safely and efficiently spay/neuter hundreds of cats and dogs previously adopted out by the two shelters over the course of four days.

The Rally for the Valley is a collaborative response to the animal welfare crisis that currently exists in the RGV, which has some of the highest intake animal shelters in the country which struggle to maintain adequate veterinary staffing to meet shelter needs and maintain low or no-kill euthanasia rates. We hope that Rally for the Valley will engage animal welfare warriors from across the state, and the country, to shine a light on this emergency situation, as much as they would if it were a natural disaster, pandemic, or other catastrophic event. Donna Casamento, Executive Director at PVAS says, “Here in the Rio Grande Valley, there is a considerable shortage of veterinary services available to the public. Surgical schedules in private veterinary clinics often have long waiting lists, taking several months before spay/neuter appointments are available. At Palm Valley Animal Society, we try to ensure that every animal has been spayed or neutered before adoption but too often we are unable to meet that goal. With the more than 28,000 animals we care for each year, we often have to schedule those appointments out as well. All of this combined contributes to the overpopulation of animals in our community and that is something that we must change. We are thrilled to partner with Animal Balance as we Rally for the Valley.” Luis Quintanilla, Executive Director of HSH says, "When Hurricane Harvey hit Texas in 2017, dozens of animal welfare organizations and thousands of individuals from all over the country mobilized to help thousands of displaced pets. It was an emergency that required an urgent response.

In The Rio Grande Valley, with thousands of homeless pets, and extremely limited veterinary options, that level of urgency is a daily reality." “The first mainland USA campaign that Animal Balance held was at PVAS in August of 2019. We are deeply connected to the community in the RGV and our partners here,” says Animal Balance Program Director, Elsa Allen-Kohlbus. “We recognize the urgent need for action in this area and are dedicated to providing high quality, compassionate care to help our friends deal with this crisis.” Animal Balance is currently recruiting veterinary professionals, including Texas licensed veterinarians with HQHVSN experience, licensed veterinary technicians (HQHVSN experience preferred) for a limited number of paid shifts. Volunteers including veterinary assistants, recovery volunteers, and general volunteers are also needed. If you are interested in joining this effort to save lives in Texas and Rally for the Valley, please email ekohlbus@animalbalance.org for information. We are also seeking community support for this effort. Donations, including local hotel accommodations, team meals, travel expenses, and funding support are critical in allowing us to sterilize more animals. If you would like to make a monetary or in-kind donation, please email ekohlbus@animalbalance.org. Animal Balance is a global non-profit dedicated to creating positive change in communities around the world. With the help of our local partners, we create community-based population management programs for dogs and cats. For more information about our organization visit www.animalbalance.org or email info@animalbalance.org.