SPLENDORA, Texas – The nonprofit group, This is Houston, is building its own free vaccine and microchip clinic set to open next year and will include access to low-cost spay and neuter.
The nearly 4-acre property in Splendora includes a four bay structure that will allow pet owners to stay in their vehicles with their pets while the animals are vaccinated, chipped and given dewormer.
Spay/neuter surgeries will be in a home built just feet away and will only require a small deposit to reserve a space. The services will be for owned pets of Cleveland residents, where the group initially started its outreach in 2021.
“Dogs in that area are running the streets, none of them are vaccinated, they’re having puppies and it’s hard for anybody to keep up with,” said Tom Heller, co-founder of This is Houston. “We want to vaccinate them to keep them from dying unnecessarily and provide spay and neuter so they’re not reproducing.”
From 2021 through 2024, This is Houston provided Cleveland pet owners with pop-up clinics and the need was tremendous.
In three years, they helped vaccinate and spay/neuter thousands of dogs and are excited about the opportunity to have their own permanent space. They decided to build in Montgomery County so that they would have access to animal control and the county animal shelter in the event they need assistance with abandoned pets.
While Liberty County has plans to build a shelter, construction has not started and there are still no funds approved for animal control officers.
While this will be for Cleveland residents first, there is a chance the nonprofit will open it up to other zip codes. They say they’ll monitor the need and adjust accordingly. This is Houston hopes to wrap construction by the end of the year, with clinic services starting up in the spring or summer.
If you’d like more information on Cleveland outreach, or how to donate or volunteer, click here.