"Big Fix 3.0 brings free spay/neuter clinic to Okanogan County, treats thousand of pets

By MIKE MALTAIS

Ward Media Staff Reporter

OKANOGAN – Big Fix 3.0, the popular free spay and neuter clinic held at the Okanogan County Fairground and Agriplex from June 26-29, was another venue that played to a packed house of canines and felines from the opening bell to the final whistle.

The collaboration between the local Team Okanogan Animal Rescue (TOAR) and Greater Good Charities has brought the Northwest’s largest spay/neuter, vaccination, and microchip clinic to the county three times now. More good news is that a fourth clinic will return to the fairgrounds from Sept. 25-28 this fall. 

Founded in 2007, Seattle-based Greater Good Charities is a global nonprofit with a mission statement “to help people, pets, and the planet by mobilizing in response to need and amplifying the good,” according to its website, greatergood.org/good-fix. Their specially trained surgical personnel and professional trappers work with local community shelters and organizations like TOAR.

Since 2021, Good Fix has been addressing cat and dog overpopulation throughout the U.S. Toward that end, Good Fix teams have spayed and neutered more than 58,000 cats and dogs. The nonprofit brings a team of high-quality, high-volume (HQHV) surgical staff to perform safe, humane spay/neuter surgeries. Pets receiving surgery also get free vaccinations and microchips to ensure future health and safety.

TOAR (toarwa.org) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit founded in 2023 by Jill Servais. TOAR is not an animal shelter but supports the community by providing lifesaving programs and resources to assist pets and families in need. Among those services are the free spay/neuter/vaccination clinics, distribution of pet food and supplies, emergency veterinary funding and grants, trap-neuter-return (TNR) services, and transfer partnerships with adoption organizations.

The demand for the Big Fix services is so large that TOAR posted an advisory on its website for pet owners to arrive early…very early.

“Official registration opens at 7:30 a.m., but past clinics have reached capacity by 5 a.m.,” the advisory cautioned. Many clients traveled from outside the county, some from outside the state, while others overnighted at the fairgrounds to be assured of an early morning registration slot.

Greater Good Charities brings a team of specially trained, high-quality, high-volume (HQHV) surgical staff to perform safe, humane spay/neuter surgeries. Pets receiving surgery also get free vaccinations and microchips to ensure future health and safety.

“I’m all about stop the litters, stop the suffering,” said Servais. “A huge part of this is being able to provide a service to those who have no chance of getting it otherwise and who want access to a responsible fix. If you build, it they will come.” 

Servais said Greater Good brought 30-35 people from around the world with its group and TOAR added about another 60 volunteers.

By the 2024 numbers alone TOAR’S Big Fix clinics:

• Spayed or neutered 2,132 animals.

• Distributed 120,000 pounds of food and supplies to county families and rescues in

  need.

• Transferred 464 animals a second chance through shelter transfer partnerships.

• Secured $43,000 in veterinary and grant funding to help pet owners access veterinary and support rescues.

• Engaged more than 100 volunteers to power its missions and programs.

A tour through the Agriplex facility revealed the speed and precision involved with every phase of the intake-surgery-recovery-release process that allowed a high level of efficiency to treat the maximum number of animals. Every staffer and volunteer knew his or her role based on years of working as a team in a variety of locations.

Information gathered during the intake process ensured that owners left with the specific food and supplies – including a neck cone - needed for their pets’ continued heath and recovery.

Seattle area volunteer Kayce Taylor assembled the individual supply packages for each pet owner based on their intake interview.

Animals were individually kenneled and segregated into staging areas according to the needs of each group. For example, shorter-nosed dogs received extra attention and continuous monitoring owing to possible breathing issues under anesthesia. Community (feral) cats that may have been exposed to diseases like bird flu were segregated. Cats that received ear-tipping as proof of treatment were kept separate. Foster care candidates – like baby kittens – were identified for later care.

Oroville volunteer Cindy Wallitner is fostering five sick and under nourished three-week-old kittens that were brought to the clinic in need of special care.

The surgical procedures were performed with assembly-line-like speed and precision. The average canine spay takes about 15 minutes, a neuter a little less, said Servais. Cat neuters go faster, around two minutes. Community cats were addressed first, followed by dogs, and owned cats last during a typical day’s surgical schedule.

Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR)

Servais said 28 cat colonies were identified prior to the clinic. With as many as 100 cats in the largest of those, the trappers faced a challenge of numbers.

Brewster resident Mike Ostrom has been trapping homeless cats and dogs for three years from Bridgeport to Pateros. He captured a total of 28 cats for the TOAR event.

“I trapped Wednesday night (June 25) and Thursday night (June 26),” said Ostrom. “I trapped seven miles up behind Chief Joe Dam and up on the Bridgeport Flats and caught 12 in one place and 16 in another.”

A Rescue Rocks fundraiser featuring the band Hit Machine and a silent auction will be held from 6-10 p.m. at the Leavenworth Festhalle to benefit TOAR and Okandogs.

To learn more about the variety of ways to support TOAR, through volunteer work or donations, visit toarwa.org online.

Mike Maltais: 360-333-8483 or michael@ward.media

BIG FIX 3.0 BY THE NUMBERS

Team Okanogan Animal Rescue (TOAR) consultant Jeanine Foucher reported the following results from the four-day Big Fix 3.0 free spay/neuter clinic held at the Okanogan County fairgrounds on June 26-29.

– A record 1,112 cats and dogs were spayed/neutered, vaccinated, and microchipped at Big Fix 3.0.

– 3,210 cats and dogs have been altered at the three Big Fix Okanogan clinics combined.

– Approximately 60-70 volunteers – many local to Okanogan County – assisted each day.

– Greater Good Charities professionals included nine veterinarian surgeons who performed approximately 280 sterilizations each day assisted by vet technicians and volunteers.

– Clinic days averaged 12-plus hours.

– More than 40,000 pounds of pet food and supplies were distributed to pet owners and shared with the Colville Tribes animal care organization, food banks, etc.