Pets For Life News

September 2022 Story:

This smiling, handsome boy is Chico and his owner, Mr. Estrada. Pets for Life met with
Mr. Estrada and Chico while doing door to door outreach in his neighborhood earlier this
summer. Our Pets for Life coordinator followed up with them recently to see how Chico
was doing after being neutered in late August. Mr. Estrada is glad he decided to have
Chico fixed and informs that it was an easy and quick process. He advises other pet
owners that they should have their pets fixed as well. He mentions that when he
attempts to ride his bike through his neighborhood he is often chased by dogs that are
in the streets and not fixed. He would like for this to change. Mr. Estrada is overall
happy with his experience with the Pets for Life program and was excited that he even
received a free new dog house for Chico!

Food Pantry Event 4/3/21

Today’s event went great! We helped out 83 families in total with pet food! The entire event ran smoothly thanks to Darcey, Sylvia Rosenbaum and Shane Gleason (chair of iCAT at TAMUCC) for their assistance! Attached are pics that i managed to snap during the event and of some cuties that came by!

March 2021 Story:

This is Mr. Trevino and his adorable dogs; Ted and Karma. Pets for Life met with Mr. Trevino and his pets while doing door to door outreach in his neighborhood in September of 2019. At the time of visit, Mr. Trevino expressed that he was having trouble with his two male dogs being escape artists.  Mr. Trevino was pleased to know that PFL was offering free services for pet owners in his area. Just a few days after our initial meeting, his dogs; Ted and Pup were fixed through the program. Sadly, since then, Pup has passed. But he got Karma shortly after as a puppy and was able to have her fixed, chipped and vaccinated through PFL as well. On our latest visit with Mr. Trevino, Ted and Karma were seen happily playing ball with Mr. Trevino in his front yard. Mr. Trevino said the Pets for Life program is awesome. He was glad to have gotten his dogs neutered as he was having trouble keeping them from jumping the fence. After their neutering they became calmer. Mr. Trevino stated he has recommended the program to everyone who has inquired about the free services and is happy with the outcome. 

February 2021 Story:

This is Mr. Mendiola and his handsome baby boy, Duke. Duke was given to Mr. Mendiola as a gift from his sister as a puppy. PFL met with Mr. Mendiola and Duke while out on door-to door outreach in December of last year. Right away it was noticed how much Mr. Mendiola treasured Duke. He referred to him as his best companion.  Mr. Mendiola was eager to have Duke vaccinated at the time that we met them and just two weeks later, Duke was neutered, vaccinated and microchipped free of cost through Pets for Life at PAAC.  Recently, while in his neighborhood, PFL stopped by Mr. Mendiola’s home to check in on Duke. Duke was seen thriving in his home and as always right by Mr. Mendiola’s side. Mr. Mendiola is grateful for the services and stated he liked that as part of the program, Duke received his vaccines and now he does not have to worry about it. Pets for Life’s mission is to help pet owners like Mr. Mendiola receive basic medical care for their pets. With the continuing support from our community and with the recent expansion of the outreach area, Pets for Life will continue assisting pets like Duke to provide access to resources that would not have  been possible otherwise.

January 2021 Story:

This adorable happy dog is Cookie. Pets for Life originally met with Cookie and her owners, Mr. and Mrs. Garza in November of 2019. At the time, Cookie was in heat so they were eager to have her fixed! Shortly after In December of 2019, Cookie was spayed, vaccinated and given a doghouse all free of cost through the Pets for Life program. Recently, while in their neighborhood again, PFL paid Mrs. Garza and Cookie a visit to check in and remind of annual vaccines. Cookie was seen happily running around the yard.  Mrs. Garza explained to us how special Cookie is to her as she originally belonged to her son who loved her very much, but unfortunately passed last year. Cookie is known by all her neighbors and they treasure her as they know what a special dog, she is to the Garza residence. Mrs. Garza is very happy that PFL was able to assist in having Cookie spayed and will continue bringing her in to PAAC for services. Mrs. Garza has even recommended our clinic and the Pets for Life program to her friends and family who have also brought their pets in for services!

August 2020 Story:

Meet Mr. Saenz and his pets. Pets for Life met with Mr. Saenz in May of 2019. Mr. Saenz has since then been actively working with Pets for Life to get his pets all neutered and spayed. Mr. Saenz strongly recommends the program to people that live in the Pets for Life outreach area to take advantage of the benefits the program has to offer. Mr. Saenz thinks the program is great and has helped him a lot. Mr. Saenz is a huge animal lover and makes sure that his pets are all fixed and up to date with vaccines as well as medications. Mr. Saenz thanks Pets for Life for making this all possible.

July 2020 Story:

This is Mrs. Magdalena and her cat Charlie. Mrs. Magdalena has been a part of the Pets for Life program since 2018. Charlie was rescued by Mrs. Magdalena earlier in the spring and decided to have him join her family. Charlie just like Mrs. Magdalena’s other 6 cats were fixed and vaccinated at PAAC. Mrs. Magdalena stated she appreciated the program as it has helped her and other people in her neighborhood to take care of all of their cats. Mrs. Magdalena thinks the program is great because it helps with overpopulation and she has recommended the program to other people who live in the Pet for Life area so that they may receive free services for their pets and to help with overpopulation.

June 2020 Story:

Meet the Munoz and Gross family. PAAC staff met with Mrs. Munoz and Mrs. Gross while doing outreach in the 78401 area as part of the new PAAC target program. Mrs. Munoz and Mrs. Gross were recently able to have some of their pets fixed free of cost through the program. Scooby and Mazy the two adorable female dogs not only were spayed but were given rabies vaccines, new collars, leashes as well as sent home with trolleys and doghouses. Mrs. Munoz’s two cats Winterdust and Little Briches also fixed, vaccinated and given flea/tick prevention. The Munoz and Gross family were very grateful to also receive both dog and cat food through the COVID-19 Food Pantry, another ongoing program at PAAC. Make sure to keep an eye out for PAAC Staff who will be continuing to do outreach in the nearby areas!

Scooby (left), Munoz and Gross family with Winterdust and Little Briches (middle) and Mazy (right)

February 2020 Story:

This is Mrs. Francis and her boyfriend, Mr. Aris with their dogs, Coco (on the left) and Mermur (on the right). Pets for Life met with Mrs. Francis while conducting outreach in her apartment complex in the PFL covered area. Mrs. Francis got Coco from a friend who was giving him away and Mermur was found by Mr. Aris outside of his work parking lot as a puppy. Both dogs were immediately taken in as members of their family. Just a few weeks after initially meeting with Mrs. Francis, Pets for Life was able to provide transportation to and from the clinic to spay and neuter Coco and Mermur. However, to Mrs. Francis and Mr. Aris’s surprise Mermur was already spayed. Although Mermur was already spayed, through the program, she was able to receive her updated vaccines, microchip and even was sent home with a toy. Coco was also given vaccines, neutered, chipped and sent home with a chew toy. Mrs. Francis was especially excited about the program because recently both dogs had run away and she was worried because neither dog was microchipped, but they both returned home in time to be scheduled for the services. Mrs. Francis was very appreciative of the program and thought the program was awesome. Mrs. Francis mentioned she recommends the program to anyone who qualifies for it stating she would not have been able to afford the services without the help of the program.

December 2019 Story: 

This is Mrs. Diaz and her 5 year old dog Milo. Mrs. Diaz received Milo when he was just a puppy as a gift from her grandson. Mrs. Diaz who immediately fell in love with Milo, made him a special member of her family. Mrs. Diaz who resides in the Pets For Life focus area, joined Pets for Life a year ago after receiving a flyer at her home. Mrs. Diaz was able to have Milo neutered and vaccinated through Pets For Life and has even been able to receive medical treatment for her almost 17 year old cat Pelusa!

Milo who Initially tested positive for Heartworms in November of 2018, was all smiles on his latest visit on December 4th to PAAC because he tested Heartworm Negative! Mrs. Diaz was ecstatic because she has been consistently obtaining Milo’s monthly Heartworm prevention through PAAC and it has paid off! Mrs. Diaz stated that the Pets for Life program is excellent for people with limited access to resources. Mrs. Diaz has been appreciative of the Pets for Life program since joining because as someone who is on a fixed income, the free services obtained through Pets for Life have helped her tremendously. Mrs. Diaz stated she encourages people in the community to have their pets spayed/neutered to avoid overpopulation. Mrs. Diaz feels it is our duty to help community animals in need because all animals deserve nothing but love.

November 2019 Story:

PLEMeet Roxy, 11 month old blue heeler and her owner Mr. Reyna. We met Roxy and Mr. Reyna during door-to-door community outreach in the focus area in early October. Mr. Reyna informed us that Roxy was a gift given by one of his daughters.Mr. Reyna shared his immense love for Blue Heelers with us.Mr. Reyna stated when his daughter informed him he would be getting a puppy, he insisted that the puppy be the runt of the litter. Mr. Reyna shared that he has always felt that the runts of the litter require more love and care which leads to them becoming amazingly strong dogs.