Nonpro t
BY KARA WILLIS
Operation Pets Alive has subsidized close to 4,000 surgeries for pets of Montgomery County residents.
Founded in 2010, Operation Pets Alive is a no-kill, nonpro t organization in Montgomery County that works with volunteers to get pets adopted in other states as well as in Texas, and to spay or neuter dogs and cats.
PHOTOS COURTESY OPERATION PETS ALIVE
Operation Pets Alive helps tackle pet overpopulation
Rebecca Forbes, president of Operation Pets Alive, said she joined the team because she wanted to make a di erence in stray animals’ lives. Operation Pets Alive is a no-kill, nonpro t organization in Montgomery County that works with volunteers to increase awareness around the need for a no-kill community for homeless dogs and cats. OPA was founded in 2010 and has since placed over 20,000 animals into forever homes, she said. After serving the community for over 10 years, OPA was recently awarded a spay and neuter contract from the state of Texas under a new pilot program that will allow it to expand community spay and neuter services into six additional coun- ties including Walker, San Jacinto, Liberty, Grimes, Waller and Polk, Forbes said. The organization Operation Pets Alive started with transport services for dogs to help get Montgomery County as close to being a no-kill community as possible. OPA launched a public spay/neuter program in 2012 to help address Montgomery County pet overpopulation, Forbes said. OPA has subsidized close to 4,000 spay/neuter surgeries for animals owned in Montgomery County. The past Forbes started becoming involved with animals locally as a Montgomery County Animal Shelter
dog walker. Once she learned that she could help animals nd homes through Operation Pets Alive, she started getting involved with local adoption at events before becoming foster coordinator and eventually president. Like other animal welfare organizations in the county, OPA faces pet overpopulation challenges. “Veterinary services aren’t cheap, so that is a huge problem that we face. It’s not that people don’t care about their pets, it’s that they don’t have the means to. That’s what started our public spay and neuter program that we piloted out and we’ve done over 3,000 surgeries for [pets of] Montgomery County residents,” Forbes said. Get involved The organization has several annual events for the community to get involved in its mission in helping animals get adopted, and in addition to fostering they welcome volunteers to help with paperwork and other aspects of the nonpro t. On April 2 it held Rescues on the Runway at The Peach Orchard Venue, where dogs walk the red carpet with The Woodlands-area models and boutiques. “We always need more volunteers because we do puppy therapy at the schools, puppy yoga, we have Rescues on the Runway coming up, so we have tons of ways to get involved,” Forbes said.
The organization has placed more than 20,000 animals into homes since it formed in 2010.
Rescuing pets In 2025, OPA found homes for:
444 dogs
193 cats
Out-of-state partners for pet placement include: • Colorado • Minnesota • New Hampshire • Wisconsin
SOURCE: OPERATION PETS ALIVE COMMUNITY IMPACT
www.operationpetsalive.org
49
THE WOODLANDS EDITION
Powered by FlippingBook