About Fix Them All
Fix Them All (FTA) is the new name of Pay To Spay, which incorporated in Florida and was awarded federal 501(c)(3) status in 2016. Our mission is to incentivize the spaying and neutering of dogs and cats in order to reduce the number of unwanted animals. To that end, we work in rural counties in North Central Florida that have relatively high euthanasia rates to help people overcome barriers to sterilizing their pets. We provide access to surgery, motivation to get pets “fixed”, and education to help pet owners understand why this is so critically important.
Our original name, Pay To Spay, came from our idea that there would be a significant number of reluctant or recalcitrant pet owners who might be incentivized by gift cards. However, we found the great majority of pet owners are willing and even eager to sterilize their pets, but just need help overcoming the obstacles of high cost and lack of transportation. Our new name, Fix Them All, better reflects our mission and goals.
Owned pets that are not spayed or neutered are the primary cause of unowned (stray) animals at great cost to communities and the environment. Free-roaming dogs and cats often suffer from parasites, hunger or injuries, and they carry disease and pose threats to pets and wildlife. (Outdoor cats are conservatively estimated to be responsible for killing more than 1.3 billion birds and 6.3 billion mammals in the U.S. every year.) Animal control services and shelters capture, house, occasionally re-adopt, and often euthanize these animals at tax-payer expense. In 2018, for example, one of our county shelters took in 591 stray cats and euthanized 469 of them. By encouraging pet owners to sterilize their dogs and cats and facilitating this by providing transportation and subsidizing the cost, Pay To Spay goes directly to the source of the problem.
Our low-cost spay/neuter program has been made possible through our success in negotiating discounted procedure fees of our local veterinarians who wish to participate in our program. We then offer qualifying pet owners certificates for spay/neuter at participating practices for small co-payments. We subsidize the difference with our own funds. We promote the availability of these services at farm stores, grocery stores, donut shops and other places where people gather as well as online.
In 2019, through our sponsorship, we introduced the first Neuter Commuter Mobile Surgery Unit to our communities. This service was designed to help pet owners who may not be able to travel to get their pets sterilized. Partly supported by a grant from the Wagmore Foundation, Neuter Commuter clinics were held in Chiefland, Old Town, Bell and Cross City and accomplished surgeries for 128 dogs and 282 cats.
Also in December of 2019 we had a very successful fundraising event, the first annual Fix Them All FUNdraiser, held at the Gainesville Garden Club. We appreciate our sponsors and everyone who contributed to make the day a success. Unfortunately, because of the Covid-19 pandemic, we were unable to hold a second annual event in 2020.
Nonetheless 2020 was a good year. Fix Them All joined with the Humane Society of North Central Florida to register Gilchrist, Dixie and Levy County residents on government assistance for free spays and neuters. This venture allowed the Humane Society of North Central Florida to spay and neuter 78 dogs and 100 cats. In July we were proud to receive a grant from the Bissell Pet Foundation to further our mission. We greatly appreciate Bissell's support. In September we brought on board the Access Veterinary Services Mobile Unit owned by Dr. Natalie Isaza. Through the continuing generosity of Wagmore, we sponsored 112 dog and 277 cat surgeries through the Neuter Commuter Mobile Surgery Unit and the new AVS Mobile unit. And towards the end of the year, we welcomed Melrose Animal Hospital and Twisted Oaks Pet Partners owned by Jessie Sheckels on board, which expanded our programs into Putnam, Bradford and Clay counties. Altogether through our mobile units and brick-and-mortar veterinary partners, we supported the spaying and neutering of 465 dogs and 766 cats for a total of 1231 surgeries.
Dr. Becky Gill, a Board member, long-time supporter and beloved friend, passed away in January 2021. She left us a generous bequest, which will help keep us growing and sustainable for years to come. In her honor, we launched the Becky Gill Memorial Fund which cut co-pays in half to qualifying pet owners. We also received much-appreciated grants from the DJ&T Foundation, Florida Animal Friend, ColliesFlorida and Petco Love, as well as a donation from 4 Pet's Sake in recognition of our long-standing and reliable service. We initiated a new partnership with Sheltering Hands, a wonderful organization dedicated to cat welfare and adoptions, and began offering monthly transports between Chiefland and Keystone Heights and the Sheltering Hands spay/neuter clinic in Ocala. These resources allowed us to get a record 1844 pets from 18 counties fixed in 2021.
Looking forward, Fix Them All hopes to add more participating veterinary clinics, expand to more counties, add more volunteers, and gain grant funding to further our mission to spay and neuter pets to help reduce the population of unwanted animals. We hope you will join us in this mission by spaying and neutering your pets, donating funds and even volunteering!
Our governing documents, conflict of interest policy, and financial statements are available to anyone on request.
