Spay-Neuter Assistance Program (SNAP)

Homeless dogs and cats wander every neighborhood -- destined for suffering in the "wild" or euthanasia in a shelter. Please help us reduce overpopulation of unwanted animals humanely through sterilization and education.

Why do we exist?

SNAP's mission is to prevent the suffering and death of cats and dogs due to overpopulation, especially in low-income areas.

SNAP is unique because we pioneered the idea of a spay-neuter clinic on wheels in 1993; we take our services directly into low-income neighborhoods, where the problem of animal overpopulation has been shown to be the worst; and we offer our services free of charge to families on need-based public assistance programs such as Food Stamps and SSI/SSD. Our target population includes the poor, the homeless, the disabled, and the elderly—all populations for whom sterilizing their companion animals is a luxury and low on their list of priorities. By making this service, including free rabies vaccinations, both affordable and accessible, we empower these people to become part of the solution to the problem, to raise the standard of care for their companion animals, and to become educated on the problem and pass the word on.

Even if you are not an animal lover pained by the millions of animals needlessly destroyed in America’s shelters each year or suffering and dying on the streets, there are other reasons why you should care about this issue. Our work also has a far-reaching impact in other areas, improving public health by reducing the spread of rabies; increasing public safety by reducing animal attacks on humans (largely children), since sterilized animals are less aggressive, and traffic accidents caused by wandering animals; improving the environment by reducing the number of dead animal carcasses dumped at landfills, along with poisonous flea collars and euthanasia drugs that pollute water and food supplies; cleaning up neighborhoods beset by property damage and unsanitary conditions caused by homeless animals; and helping the local economy by reducing tax money needed to catch, warehouse, test, and kill animals by city and county animal control agencies. Everyone should care about a humane solution to these community problems.

What have you accomplished?

While SNAP cannot take total credit, we hope we played a significant role in diminishing the euthanasia rate by 28% at our public shelters in Houston and by 32.9% in all San Antonio shelters since 1997 and have helped and educated hundreds of thousands of people. The people we help are among the poor, disabled, homeless, and elderly. We have sterilized and provided wellness services to 405,486 dogs and cat.

Here is one client story. Before the mobile clinic goes into a new neighborhood to provide services, SNAP frequently has volunteers and employees distribute flyers to tell people about the program.  At one such site, our community volunteer was visiting the neighborhood when she noticed several cats in the front yard of a house.  She stopped and knocked on the door, which was answered by a lovely elderly woman, Tonya.  No, the cats had not been spayed or neutered, nor had they been vaccinated.  Yes, she was income-qualified for free services, and she would like the cats to be spayed and neutered, but she had no transportation to bring them to the clinic site.  She only lived a few blocks away, but she was very arthritic and unable to walk there with the cats.  Transportation was quickly offered and gratefully accepted.  After surgery, it was explained, the cats would have to stay inside for several days.  Was that okay?  The cats were used to being outside and may not like being denied yard privileges, but Tonya understood and readily agreed to move them indoors.  Everything was set!  The little rascals, a young, jet black female and her six-month old tabby kittens all did fine on their day at the mobile clinic.  At the end of the day, one of SNAP’s technicians and our community volunteer gently placed the cats in two large carriers.  Another volunteer donated some cat food, toys, and a litter pan to send home with them.  The cats’ guardian was waiting at the door and welcomed the cats home.  She had worked on cat-proofing the house during the day, and made a point of giving a small tour.  As the SNAP representatives left, the cats were snuggled up together, purring like crazy, a good ending to a nice day.

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