Low-cost Spay & Neuter • Prevention • Community Health

Schnapps was never the cat who rushed to the front and demanded to be chosen. He was painfully shy. The kind of shelter cat who could disappear into the background while the bolder, friendlier cats did their best sales pitches. But Claire Stratton, DVM, saw him. She saw beyond the frightened cat in front of her and gave him something shy animals desperately need: time, patience and the chance to feel safe. And Schnapps began to change. Today, Schnapps is Linus—and the frighte

This Easter at Wingfield Park in Ruidoso, families gathered for a joyful morning filled with laughter, sunshine, and hundreds of brightly colored eggs scattered across the park. It looked effortless. But as it turns out… there may have been a very special helper involved. According to unofficial reports, Mountain Spirit—former feral reservation dog and 2025 John Henry Award Winner—was spotted early that morning carefully overseeing egg placement. While most assumed this was a

Community support makes lifesaving work possible. Spirit and I were honored this week to receive a $500 donation from the Ruidoso Valley Greeters, made possible through proceeds from the 2025 Ruidoso Christmas Jubilee. This generous gift will help fund spay and neuter surgeries for pets belonging to low-income families in Lincoln and Otero Counties. Each surgery prevents unwanted litters and improves the health and safety of pets who might otherwise go without care. We are de

This Valentine’s season, something special happened at Animal Village NM. Elaine Welch, CEO of Mobility Matters in California, stepped forward with a $1,000 matching gift for our Valentine’s LoveRaiser. That means every dollar given right now goes twice as far for low-income families and the pets they love. Matching gifts do more than double donations. They give small nonprofits like ours a lift — a sense that we’re not doing this work alone. Longtime supporters, monthly dono

Sixteen years ago, a black pit bull named Lady Perini walked out of our shelter and into the arms of a family who promised her forever. Today, she is known as Arden. She is 16 years old. This week, Arden slipped out of her yard and ended up at the pound. Because she was microchipped — and because Animal Village NM remains the primary contact on all our adopted animals — we were notified immediately. There was never a moment of worry. The McCaffery family, who stepped in when

This Halloween season, as we embrace the spooky spirit, let us reflect on the chilling reality faced by AnimalVillageNM in the aftermath...

During rescue efforts for animals in the paths of fires and floods, AnimalVillageNM began trapping efforts for a feral cat colony at the...

During June 2024 fires and floods, when President Biden declared Lincoln County, NM a disaster area, AnimalVillageNM came through for...

Dogs as pets are becoming more and more of a staple in American family life. In fact, 60 percent of dog owners let their dog sleep on...

We are convinced by these results that transport is the answer to rescuing thousands of dogs and cats in the coming years, and we are...