One of the most helpful animal organizations in North Texas has opened a new clinic. Spay Neuter Network, which conducts more spay/neuter surgeries than any other organization in North Texas, has opened a clinic in Fort Worth at 3117 E. Seminary Dr.

The clinic's mission: to spay and neuter 33,000 cats and dogs over the next three years.

A release notes that the opening comes at a critical time, when Dallas-Fort Worth shelters are overflowing with animals.

Summers are unfortunately always a busy time, but in 2019, shelters in Fort Worth, Dallas, and Collin County are at levels far beyond their capacity.

The Fort Worth shelter took in 21 percent more animals in May than it did a year ago, while Dallas took in 18 percent more animals.

Fort Worth has seen more than 9,500 animals so far this fiscal year, while Dallas has taken in more than 26,000 animals.

Spaying and neutering pets prevents the birth of hundreds of thousands of unwanted pets. Otherwise they turn up at municipal shelters and face the risk of being euthanized. The number of shelter animals nationwide who come in already spayed or neutered is a dismally low 10 percent.

Founded in 2003, Spay Neuter Network (SNN) is run by a mixture of paid staff and dedicated volunteers who work to improve the lives of pets and end euthanasia. Since their inception, they've sterilized more than 200,000 dogs and cats and administered more than 350,000 vaccinations.

They serve 13 counties and more than 1.3 million residents in North Texas with emphasis on South Fort Worth, Southern Dallas, and rural communities surrounding the DFW area.

They currently alter more than 25,000 animals a year out of two stationary clinics: one in Crandall, three miles east of Dallas County, and a second that opened in southern Dallas in 2017, as part of the city of Dallas' Southern Dallas Spay/Neuter Surge Project.

They also operate a mobile animal surgery hospital that can serve up to 50 pets in a single day in Fort Worth and rural communities across North Texas.

Additionally, SNN offers transport services to and from their stationary clinics, to assist pet owners in rural communities or in urban areas without transportation options.

They operate six days a week, performing 400-500 surgeries a week.

At the new Fort Worth clinic, the surgeries will be free of charge to Fort Worth residents, thanks to the support of three entities: the Saving Hope Foundation, the City of Fort Worth, and the Humane Society of North Texas.

In addition to doing spay and neuter surgeries, SNN also sends outreach teams into targeted zip codes where there are a greater number of loose animals, to encourage families to get their pets spayed and neutered, and has seen some positive results, with nearly 40 percent of pet owners in those areas getting their pets spayed or neutered.

Outreach work is said to be one of the most effective deterrents, along with access to affordable and free spaying and neutering.

The group's success has attracted not only volunteers but also donors. According to the release, more than 300 donors helped them secure $10,000 in matching funds in a recent fundraiser.