ANIMAL VILLAGE NM is the longtime dream- now operational- of AVNM founders Sunny Aris & Nancy Berg. AVNM is a NO-KILL pet adoption center & animal-welfare facility. When we have an open space, and with the aid of partnering animal control facilities we rescue friendly, adoptable death-row dogs and cats who have run out of time in shelters. Our mission is to stop the killing of thousands of friendly, adoptable dogs and cats abandoned at AC facilities. These pets die usually because guardians do not keep the lifetime commitment made initially to their pets. Because of the enormous number of pets being abandoned, New Mexico's under-staffed and under-funded animal control facilities don’t have enough space or funding to keep them alive until committed homes are found. The vast majority of abandoned pets in New Mexico and in the United States as a whole never make it out of the shelters alive.

We are a private 501c3 life-saving organization, and we have put our personal funds into this property and improvements, located at a deliberately highly visible & accessible property on a major NM highway. We have ‘stepped out in faith’ that the community of animal-lovers will help us fund and support our mission for the betterment of the lives of the animals that we love.

We require that all cat adoptions be to indoor only homes. As our pets have already face death from euthanasia at a shelter, we do not allow our adopted cats or kittens to again face death from cars on the road, or predators on 2 or 4 legs. We do not adopt dogs as 'yard dogs,' 'guard dogs,' or allow our adopted dogs to be chained. For a pack animal meant to be a companion, this is animal abuse. We adopt dogs not to watch a family live their lives through the window from a backyard, but as beloved companions ONLY, who will sleep inside the guardians' homes, and be an active part of their lives.

AVNM assists our adopters with K9 training and educational support to offer their adopted pets a lifetime commitment with a real place in their lives, hearts, and moral considerations. We are dedicated to this goal. We will be able to accomplish wonderful care and assistance for pets and their families as fast and as comprehensively as we receive financial donations, gifts of goods and supplies, and assemble the band of dedicated volunteers that we need.

Animal Village NM offers a 7-acre nature trail and desert-landscaped dog walk for the use of volunteers, adopters and the community. Other non-profits are encouraged to use our trail for fund-raising relays, which offers assistance to other groups for the betterm. This as well as for volunteers to walk our dogs, and adopters and the public to walk dogs also.

To assist pet guardians in need, we offer our Pet Food Bank Program. This program allows private 501c3 food-banks to receive free pet food for qualified recipients. Low-cost spay and neuter services for those who are unable to afford prevailing prices eliminates further the problem of unwanted litter of puppies and kittens, and enhances pets’ health due to the many illnesses and unwanted behaviors of intact pets. This also reduces the burden of cost to the taxpayer of animal control needed to pick up stray animals, care and feeding of these animals in animal facilities, disease costs of stray animals interacting with unsupervised pets allowed outside their homes (which we do not encourage), and euthanasia. Another ‘hidden’ cost is the emotional cost to those city and county workers who must perform the euthanasia on loving pets. We know that no one goes into the animal services arena wanting to end the lives of loving animals. We at AVNM appreciate our good fortune in not having to do that, unless our adoptable pets for some reason are terminally ill and suffering, or otherwise have no quality of life.

We have an active foster program at Holloman Air Force base for military to foster and volunteer, if unable to keep a lifetime adoption commitment.

Please join our efforts to make our animal welfare center a place of kindness, safety and excellent care for our beloved animal companions. We are walking our talk, here, saving lives daily, and committed. All we need is your help.