Operation Pets Alive!

 OPA Under New Leadership!

Jan 1, 2021 Operation Pets Alive’s new Board of Directors took the reins! We would like to take this opportunity to welcome and introduce OPA’s new Board to you.
Amy Cullum (President)
Jessica Courtney (Vice President)
Jane Holman (Secretary)
Deidre Northcott (Treasurer)
Deanna Ooley (Member at large)
Many of our new board members have held significant leadership roles within our organization for several years. Most also participated in a recent effort to complete OPA’s Business Plan for 2021. We have confidence that OPA’s new board will continue to shape the life-saving role that rescue organizations can play in helping homeless animals. We are excited to see our community continue to grow in their respect for the human animal bond and their desire to assure that cats and dogs are safe and thriving in our community.
We thank all the countless volunteers who gave their time and talents; our dedicated community partners (veterinarian clinics, pet supply stores, and so many local businesses), and we are in great debt to all our generous donors. We have no way to adequately name all those whose contributions have enabled our live-saving work. We have seen so many positive changes in Montgomery County. It is our hope that our community will become even more accommodating to pets as we continue to embrace the important role that our pets play in our lives.
We wish the Incoming OPA Board and all the current (and soon-to-be) volunteers and supporters the best. We are confident that Operation Pets Alive will continue to be an asset to our community and will continue to “Help People Save Pets”.

OPA Celebrates 10 years!

OPA begins 2021 celebrating 10 years of service to dogs, cats and residents of Montgomery County!  Over OPA’s 10-year history, we have remained consistently at or near the top of all rescues regarding the number of animals pulled from the two Montgomery County shelters.  OPA was the first to introduce innovative programs to our shelters such as larger scale transport programs, Trap, Neuter, Return programs and “Dogs Playing for Life” enrichment programs. We have contributed significantly to the achievements of both Montgomery County Animal Shelter and the Conroe Animal Shelter in their advancements toward no-kill. 
In 2011, when Operation Pets Alive (OPA) was founded, 51% of the cats and dogs at Montgomery County Animal Shelter in Conroe, Texas, were being killed due to a lack of life-saving programs. The immediate goal of the Founding Board of OPA was to reduce these numbers and save as many adoptable companion animals as possible. Our strategy was to focus on a few of the ten programs that had demonstrated effectiveness in achieving a no-kill community.

Ten years later, OPA’s hundreds of volunteers have saved the lives of thousands of at-risk animals. The Montgomery County Animal Shelter, thanks in part to OPA’s efforts, along with the work of dozens of other rescues, now has a live release rate of 95.8%. Conroe Animal Shelter, a city-run facility, has benefited from the assistance of more rescue help and changed public attitudes, and currently has an 88% live-release rate. The proven no-kill programs identified during OPA’s inception have largely been put in place. Operation Pets Alive’s original goal of making Montgomery County, Texas, a No-Kill Community has become a reality. 

Pets Still Need Us!
How is COVID 19 Affecting Us at OPA?

We understand that COVID 19 is a real human health crisis. We are all having to adjust our lives and habits to help keep ourselves and our families safe ~ plus save lives of fellow citizens. But, COVID 19 need not be a crisis for our homeless pets too.

Now, more than ever homeless pets will need our help! During this time of social distancing and staying at home, you can still ADOPT (or FOSTER). In fact, now is actually a great time to add a new furry friend (or a foster friend) to the family. While we’ve cancelled all public Adoption Events until further notice, adoption inquiries can still take place via online, phone and/or video calls with the pets’ foster families. Meet and greets, and final adoptions, will be accomplished through personal, private appointments ~ respecting all social distancing guidelines. 

If you are interested in fostering for OPA, you help us assist our local shelters, who are already facing closures, reduced hours and staffing, on top of predicting a rise in intakes and a decrease in adoptions. During this difficult time, for many shelter pets, rescues are their only hope. 

How can you help?

TO ADOPT
Our rescue pups and kitties still long for loving families! When you adopt from OPA, you help us make room for more pets in need. 
1) Visit our adoptable pets online at:
www.adoptapet.com/shelter81185-pets.html
2) Fill out an adoption application to be put in touch with the pet’s foster family, and/or to set up a private meeting, at:
www.operationpetsalive.org/adoptions.php

TO FOSTER
Fostering not only saves the life of the pet you open your home up to, but helps make room for those to come. If interested in fostering for OPA, we’d love to have you join us! Please:
1) Read more about fostering, and complete an online Fostering Application/Contract at:
www.operationpetsalive.org/programs-fostering.php
2) Drop us an email, and let us know what type of pet(s) would be a good foster fit for your family (adult dog or cat, puppies or kittens):
foster@operationpetsalive.org

We’re all in this together. Stay safe, stay healthy, and, we’ll all come through this together!

WISH LIST

We're always in need of supplies also. If you would like to help in this way, here is our wish list: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1VX5X3VLU5BI0?ref_=wl_share

Beat the Heat! Spay/Neuter Your Pets! 
OPA offers affordable Spay and Neuter Services for Cats and Dogs

Did you know OPA offers a low cost Spay/Neuter Program for ALL Montgomery County Residents that have unaltered cats or dogs? Spaying and Neutering your pets is the single most important way to save lives of homeless pet, by reducing unwanted cat and dog populations!

Plan A. offers Spay/Neuter for both dogs and cats for as low as $30 if you are on any kind of government assistance, or make less than $40,000 a year (must show proof of income/assistance).

Plan B. is $80 for Spay/Neuter of dogs and $65 for cats, and is for anyone who does not qualify for Plan A. (no proof of income/assistance necessary).

Read more about our Spay/Neuter Program and find the application here (scroll down page): 
www.operationpetsalive.org/programs.php  

Send the complete application, and/or any questions to our Spay/Neuter Team Lead at:
kayla@operationpetsalive.org 

Petco Foundation Invests In Lifesaving Work of Operation Pets Alive!
Grant of $90,000 over two years will extend efforts to save more animal lives in Montgomery County.

The Woodlands, 8/6/2018 – Operation Pets Alive is both thrilled and grateful to announce it has been awarded a $90,000 grant over the next two years, from the Petco Foundation, to support our life-saving programs. This grant will extend our efforts to minimize local shelter intakes through our spay/neuter program, and maximize live release rates through our adoption and transport programs.

We are an all-volunteer nonprofit organization dedicated to working with people and government to provide life-saving, no-kill programs to Montgomery County through innovations that:

            •           Raise community awareness;
            •           Reduce the number of dogs and cats that enter our shelters;
            •           Increase the number of dogs and cats that leave our shelters alive

Since our inception in 2011, Operation Pets Alive has helped over 15,300 homeless dogs and cats from Montgomery County find a safe place to land. From humble beginnings of only 107 dogs and cats adopted our first year, OPA adopted 1,401 dogs and cats last year. Our transport program moved 222 animals to our partners in 2011 and 950 last year alone. So far this year, we have altered, vaccinated and released over 540 community cats, and provided a low-cost spay and neuter for over 175 pets of Montgomery County residents. In our capacity as a partner to both local shelters, we have assisted with over 64 medical cases from the Conroe Animal Adoption Center and 243 medical cases from the Montgomery County Animal Shelter. Many of these cases involved surgeries in the range of $1500 each to mend substantial injuries that otherwise might have been cause for euthanasia.

The Petco Foundation investment will help our County continue to move forward to increase our live release rates at both shelters. A compassionate, forward thinking community does not limit their focus to education and health of their human citizens. We also care about our four-legged family members.

Marcia Piotter, our President shares, “As an all-volunteer organization that is funded solely by donations, we are so thankful for the support of the Petco Foundation. We look forward to putting this grant to work in furthering our life-saving goals in the most cost-effective way possible. Each day, lives truly hang in the balance and this will allow us to tip the scale in a positive direction.”

You can read more about the Petco Foundation, here: www.petcofoundation.org