Supporting the Animals of

San Miguel County, New Mexico

Shelter Support. Education.

Our mission is to provide unwavering support for the animals of San Miguel County, New Mexico. Our focus is supporting the Las Vegas Animal Care Center (LVACC), but we also provide low-cost spay/neuter services, education. FSMCA is a non-sheltering Service Provider that works with the LVACC, which is funded and operated by the city of Las Vegas for daily operations, to purchase specialty or urgent items, specialty veterinary care, or anything the staff or animals need in extenuating circumstances.

Many people ask why a government-run shelter needs a non-profit to support it. Municipal shelters partner with nonprofits to bypass the bureaucracy that all governments have. As a Nonprofit operating as 501(c)(3), FSMCA has the freedom to make decisions and purchases quickly when urgency is important. We are able to purchase unique items that are difficult to buy under the government procurement process. Almost every municipal shelter has a supporting non-profit for these reasons.

Spanning over 4700 square miles, San Miguel County faces significant challenges in animal overpopulation and welfare. The Las Vegas, New Mexico animal shelter takes in one animal in the shelter for every 21 people in the county annually. With a poverty rate of 21.4% and a median household income of $36,492, many residents wish to provide for their pets, but are financially challenged to do so. Animals in San Miguel County are often treated as disposable, neglected, and undervalued. The sole animal shelter in the county is consistently inundated and understaffed. As a registered 501c3 non-profit with a dedicated volunteer board, FSMCA is committed to support the shelter with critical supplies. Join us in making a tangible difference in the lives of these vulnerable animals.

WE ARE NOT AN ANIMAL RESCUE. WE CANNOT TAKE HOMELESS PETS.‍ ‍

Examples of What We Do

Food for Nikki

Nikki was having skin issues that were not helped by the regular food at the shelter. We purchase her monthly high quality food to help reduce her skin issues.

Cat food for Digestion Issues

This sweet cat was suffering from digestion issues. We supplied special food for him to stop the digestive issues and make it possible for him to be adopted.

Some additional items we have purchased for the Las Vegas Animal Care Center are: security cameras and monitoring, kitten milk replacer, puppy milk replacer, medications for animals, emergency vet care, gas for transporting animals, cat and dog food, safety supplies for shelter employees such as bite gloves, and more.‍

Ryder recieves specialty medical care

Ryder came to the shelter almost completely paralyzed from a car accident. Over a few weeks he regained use of three legs, but the fourth one remained limp. FSMCA paid for his neurological appointment in Albuquerque to assess the prognosis of his leg. It was determined to be permanently paralyzed and was amputated. After surgery, rehab, and lots of love, Ryder now lives a full life with his adopters.

Spay Neuter

We try to offer transportation to Espanola Humane for spay neuter services. While not our focus, we have coordinated three events. We would like to do more but need volunteers to drive the vehicle, wait and return after the animals are fixed. If you are interested in helping please let us know.

We purchased new kennel latches for the shelter. The latches are a very specilized item and are hard to procure with the city’s requirements. Thanks to a donation by Ben Koldyke, we can get this much needed safety item for the shelter’s dog kennels. Each latch is about $60 each.

Kennel Latches

The Best Place Dog and Puppy Maternity Ward

A generous donation by Ben Koldyke allowed us to purcahse a deluxe two run kennel building for pregnant momma dogs and dogs with puppies. This building is separate from the general population and offers a quieter place for the dog moms to raise their pups.

We also purchased a temperature monitor, shade cloths, and installed dividers in kennel for comfort.

To read our Shelter Stories magazine please click HERE. We published this magazine as a way to teach about pet responsiblities and to show the work the shelter does for the animals in their care.

Past Events

The Deadly Link Film

FSMCA collaborated with AWC, Animal Advocates, and Highlands University to have a free showing of the film “The Deadly Link.” on April 5, 2024. This film highlights the importance of recognizing the link between human and animal abuse.

FSMCA procured and handed out Tails that Teach books to kindergarteners through third graders at Las Vegas Public Schools. These books help teach about responsible and kind pet ownership responsiblites.

Tails That Teach Books

We have an annual Pet Festival around Halloween to celebrate our pets with a Photo Booth, agility course, and costume contest. But during this event the shelter also provides spay/neuter info, microchipping, and vaccines.

Howl-oween Pet Festival

The Fearful Feral Dog Workshop is taught at the Las Vegas Animal Care Center to educate trainers and dog rescuers about rehabilitation for fearful and feral dogs. This is a popular event and attracts people from around the United States to learn about the dogs of San Miguel County. We have this workshop in San Miguel County due to the large numbers of fearful and feral dogs here. The good news is that the dogs in the workshop go on to become happy healthy pets after further work at the Las Vegas Animal Care Center. This is a fundraising event for FSMCA, and many dogs featured in the workshop find homes during this event.

Administrative Costs

Even though we are an all volunteer organization, there are adminstrative costs, in addition to helping the animals, to Keep FSMCA running. Since we want to be transparent, here are some yearly costs.

Websites are needed to promote our organization and collect donations - $227/yr
Spay or neuter a dog or cat at special events - $100-$200 per animal
Promotional and educational printed information - This has luckily become much more affordable $90 for classroom of 30 students.
Insurance for the directors - $770 a year. Insurance per event about $250
As we grow we may need to pay a bookkeeper, attorney fees, and an accountant.

Who we are

The FSMCA is currently made up of five volunteer directors.

Julie Hart is the President FSMCA. She has been active in dog rescue, training, and rehabilitation for since 2009. She has also been training dogs professionally since 2014, plus served on the Board of an international dog training organization. Julie became involved with the animals from San Miguel County during a large hoarding case in 2019. This year Julie has organized the 4th Fearful Feral Dog Workshop at the Las Vegas shelter in April taught by Nelson Hodges. As Julie has worked with the animals of San Miguel County, she has seen a great need for resources in the community. Julie has adopted two dogs from Las Vegas shelter.

Donate

Heather Sandoval is the Vice President of FSMCA. She retired as a civil engineer, then started working at the Las Vegas Shelter in June, 2020. While working at the shelter she showed immense care for the animals. Even in extremely stressful and hectic situations, Heather treated the animals with care and patience. From her work at the shelter, Heather learned of the plight of San Miguel County animals’ and acquired knowledge of how the animals may be served. Heather is now working as an engineer again, but wants to stay involved with animal welfare in San Miguel County. Heather has since adopted three dogs from the Las Vegas shelter - all white huskies

Linda Montano, Secretary & Juan Montano, Director. Juan retired from the Las Vegas, NM Police Department as Chief of Police and now works at West Las Vegas High School. He is a wrestling coach and also runs a mentoring program for at risk youth. Linda is a Pharmacy Technician with the Department of Health. Linda and Juan have a soft spot for animals and have fostered and adopted many animals in need. Growing up in Las Vegas, NM gives Juan and Linda some insight into how the culture has shaped the way animals have been seen in the past. Looking forward, they would like to help educate the community on vaccinations, animal healthcare, spay and neutering and many other things will help community’s animal population.

Darin Romero is a lifelong resident of Las Vegas, NM and San Miguel County. He is currently the Sergeant of the San Miguel County Sheriff's Office. Prior to becoming a law enforcement officer he received his B.A. in Political Science and B.A. in Religious Studies from UNM. Darin has been involved in fostering and rescuing both dogs and cats from various welfare and rescue groups over the past ten years. He hopes to further benefit the animal community of San Miguel County.