ESPAÑOLA, N.M. – A local shelter is in serious need of help after getting an influx of dogs and puppies several days in a row.

“We will accept an animal at any time without a fee. It doesn’t matter how sick, injured, old, young,” said Mattie Allen, director of communications of Española Humane. 

For several days now, Española Humane has gotten at least 20 to 30 dogs and puppies every day. On Saturday, the shelter was so overwhelmed they had to close early.

“In about 45 minutes, we received over 21 dogs and puppies that all came in. So that’s basically a dog or a puppy every two minutes,” said Mattie Allen, director of communications of Española Humane. 

Allen says a lot of resources go into pet intake.

“So when the animals come in, we do a small little vet check, we vaccinate, de-worm, flea and tick treatment. We have to input all of their health information into the computer. I mean, it’s a very lengthy process,” said Allen.

Allen told KOB 4 they’ve closed early in similar situations in the past, but not usually so early on. Right now, the shelter has 158 dogs, 83 are in foster care.

Allen says that might not sound like much, but for a shelter their size, space runs out quickly.

“When you think about how many dog kennels we have, we have 23 dog kennels and a handful of puppy pens. So it’s, it’s a lot for our staff to manage and juggle,” Allen said. 

The shelter is encouraging the community to take advantage of its free spay and neuter clinic. Residents in Española, Rio Arriba County and the surrounding pueblos like Ohkay Owingeh, San Ildefonso and Santa Clara can take advantage of the free clinic. Pet owners can also get free vaccines and microchips there.

“Spaying and neutering your pets reduces all of these unwanted and homeless litters that reduce the suffering of animals, not just the puppies that are born on the streets, but the moms,” said Allen. “Spaying and neutering your pets also reduces the incidence of various types of cancers, along with infections. And it also reduces unwanted behaviors like roaming and aggressive behavior.”

Of the dogs they received Saturday, 17 of them are puppies from two separate litters.

“You don’t have to have a lot of money to have a lot of love,” said Allen. 

Adult dogs are free and puppies are $10.

“We’re hoping that that encourages people to adopt and allows people who might not be able to afford a higher fee to adopt a pet right now,” said Allen. 

If you can’t adopt, the shelter is also asking for volunteers and donations. Allen explained their typical busy season hasn’t even begun yet.

In February, they’ll typically start to get an influx of kittens and as the temperature warms up they’ll consistently have more than 200 pets in foster care through the fall.

For more information on how you can help/volunteer at Española Humane, click here.