The Big Fix for Big D

Black-and-white cats with kittens and packs of stray dogs are common sights in Oak Cliff. “People in Oak Cliff joke, ‘You buy a house, you buy a cat,’ ” says Chris Watts, district 3 commissioner for Dallas Animal Services. Fido Oak Cliff and Big Fix for Big D are making efforts to lower the number of strays in our neighborhood. Robbie Good of Fido Oak Cliff says population control is key, and neighbors can help by “not promoting breeders or puppy mills” but adopting animals from shelters instead. “I always thought there could be a little more outreach from the city,” Good says. That is where Watts and Big Fix for Big D come in. The Big Fix is a combined effort of four community organizations to promote spaying and neutering in Dallas neighborhoods by making spay/neuter surgeries available and affordable. Owners in 18 Dallas zip codes, including 75203, 75208, 75211 and 75224, can purchase an dog or cat’s surgeries, as well as vaccinations and city registration, for only $20. This offer is available to all animals, not just rescue pets. Owners often put spay/neuter surgeries on the back burner because they can’t afford it, don’t believe in it or are too busy, Watts says. He emphasizes that spaying and neutering does more than help control the animal population — it can prevent testicular cancer in male animals and reduce the likelihood of breast cancer up to 80 percent in females. —Tally McCormack

FIND

FIDOOAK CLIFF has a new Facebook page highlighting lost and found pets in our neighborhood. Find out more at fidooakcliff.org.