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Miami-Dade County Animal Services Department (Animal Services), Friends of Miami Animals Foundation Inc. (FoMA), Slomba Shelter Solutions and Wings of Rescue announce the launch of Fix Your Pet, Fix Our Community, a project to offer free spay and neuter services during select weekends in November and December of 2023.
Fix Your Pet, Fix Your Community will provide free services for more than 1,300 of Miami-Dade County’s dogs and cats over the course of two months, helping to alleviate our community’s animal overpopulation. As Animal Services is at maximum population capacity with approximately 1,000 pets under its care, and local rescue groups and non-profits are also overwhelmed with surrendered and found pets, Miami-Dade County has run out of space for homeless pets.
“While tackling the current crisis will require a multi-prong approach, providing access to spay/neuter services is a key step in our plan to address the pet overpopulation in our county,” said Animal Services Director Annette Jose. “Additionally, a sterilized pet is a healthier, happier pet, and more likely to remain in its home over time due to improved behavior and health factors.”
Services will be provided at the Miami-Dade County Animal Services Department Pet Adoption and Protection Center in Doral at the Wellness Clinic Animal Services, Community Cat Center (Cutler Bay Clinic), and at the Miami-Dade County Homestead Spay/Neuter Clinic at Harris Field.
The following are the scheduled dates:
November
• Saturday, November 11th, 2023: (Dogs only)
Pet Adoption & Protection Center, Wellness Clinic: 3599 NW 79 Ave, Doral, FL 33122
• Sunday, November 12th, 2023: (Cats only)
Pet Adoption & Protection Center, Wellness Clinic: 3599 NW 79 Ave, Doral, FL 33122
• Saturday, November 25th, 2023: Operation Pit Stop (Dogs & Cats)
Pet Adoption & Protection Center, Wellness Clinic: 3599 NW 79 Ave, Doral, FL 33122
• Saturday, November 26th, 2023: Operation Pit Stop (Dogs & Cats)
Pet Adoption & Protection Center, Wellness Clinic: 3599 NW 79 Ave, Doral, FL 33122
December
• Saturday, December 2nd, 2023: Operation Pit Stop (Dogs only)
Community Cat Center: 10700 SW 211 St, Cutler Bay, FL 33189
Pet Adoption & Protection Center, Wellness Clinic: 3599 NW 79 Ave, Doral, FL 33122
• Sunday, December 3rd, 2023: Operation Pit Stop (Dogs only)
Community Cat Center: 10700 SW 211 St, Cutler Bay, FL 33189
Pet Adoption & Protection Center, Wellness Clinic: 3599 NW 79 Ave, Doral, FL 33122
• Saturday, December 9th, 2023: Operation Pit Stop (Dogs only)
Community Cat Center: 10700 SW 211 St, Cutler Bay, FL 33189
• Sunday, December 10th, 2023: Operation Pit Stop (Dogs only)
Community Cat Center: 10700 SW 211 St, Cutler Bay, FL 33189
• Saturday, December 16th, 2023: Operation Pit Stop (Dogs only)
Community Cat Center: 10700 SW 211 St, Cutler Bay, FL 33189
Pet Adoption & Protection Center, Wellness Clinic: 3599 NW 79 Ave, Doral, FL 33122
• Sunday, December 17th, 2023: Operation Pit Stop (Dogs only)
Community Cat Center: 10700 SW 211 St, Cutler Bay, FL 33189
Pet Adoption & Protection Center, Wellness Clinic: 3599 NW 79 Ave, Doral, FL 33122
• Friday, December 22nd, 2023: Operation Pit Stop (Dogs only)
Pet Adoption & Protection Center, Wellness Clinic: 3599 NW 79 Ave, Doral, FL 33122
• Saturday, December 23rd, 2023: Operation Pit Stop (Dogs only)
Pet Adoption & Protection Center, Wellness Clinic: 3599 NW 79 Ave, Doral, FL 33122
Additional dates and locations may be scheduled. For updates and appointments contact 3-1-1, services are available by appointment ONLY. In addition to the free sterilization surgery, pets will also be eligible to receive free vaccinations, and microchipping, which will be required for pets who undergo sterilization who are not yet microchipped.
The portion of the project occurring in December will be focused on spay and neuter for 35 lb.+ bully-breed dogs specifically, and will be branded as “Operation Pit Stop,” bringing back the successful program implemented by FoMA, Animal Services, and Wings of Rescue in July of 2022 which sterilized 500+ dogs.
“The vast majority of homeless dogs surrendered to our county shelter are bully breed dogs. This population is at the highest-risk due to several factors, and so we are using the Operation Pit Stop platform created in conjunction with our good friends at Wings of Rescue to encourage bully-breed owners especially to do their part and sterilize their dogs,” said Yolanda Berkowitz, Founder & President of FoMA.
According to a 2021 PetPoint study, unspayed female bully breed dogs typically have litters of 10 or more puppies hence contributing to pet overpopulation. Bully breeds also face additional obstacles to adoption including longer shelter stays and housing limitations which discourages adopters from adopting large dogs or results in owners surrendering their dogs.
About Miami-Dade County Animal Services Department
Every year, Miami-Dade County Animal Services Department (Animal Services) provides care and refuge for 28,000 to 30,000 lost and abandoned dogs and cats. Every day, Animal Services staff works diligently to find life-long homes for these abandoned animals by facilitating onsite adoptions, hosting offsite adoptions at events and locations throughout the community, and working collaboratively with rescue organizations, volunteers and adoption partners. For more information visit, www.miamidade.gov/animals and/or follow Animal Services on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @adoptmiamipets.
About Friends of Miami Animals
Friends of Miami Animals Foundation’s mission is to save and improve the lives of homeless pets in Miami Dade County through education, advocacy, financial support and increased awareness. FoMA was founded in 2016 from a desire to help reduce pet overpopulation and alleviate the underlying causes of pet homelessness, such as unwanted puppies and kittens, pet abandonment, and other issues that bring pets into shelters and force pet owners to surrender their pets due to temporary hardships. From funding free or low-cost medical services through various partners to pets living in low-income households, to helping Miami-Dade County Animal Services with enrichment for shelter pets by funding enhanced play yards to allow large dogs to get out in play groups and creating their Annual Volunteer Fair, our focus is to assist more homeless pets by working closely with Miami-Dade County Animal Services and other groups. Learn more at www.fomapets.org.
About Wings of Rescue
Wings of Rescue is a donation-supported charity that flies homeless, at-risk shelter pets from disaster areas to shelters with available space without displacing any locally sheltered pets. Additionally, every year Wings of Rescue planes deliver thousands of pounds of humanitarian and veterinary aid to communities and pets in need. Since its founding in 2012, Wings of Rescue pilots have safely and efficiently flown over 69,000 pets on to new lives and delivered nearly 900,000 pounds of humanitarian and veterinary relief supplies to disaster victims. Wings of Rescue has also expanded its mission to preventing the influx of pets entering shelter systems through its Operation Pit Stop program which has provided free spay/neuters surgeries for thousands of owned bully breed dogs – the dogs who take up a large percentage of America’s shelter kennel space. For more information, visit www.wingsofrescue.org.
