Hands and tables were full at the Brownsville Animal Regulation and Care Center Thursday as cats and dogs were spayed and neutered.

The animal shelter, also known as BARCC, put the event together to reduce the stray animal population in Brownsville at a low cost.

BARCC partnered with the animal shelter PAWS Chicago for the three-day low-cost spay and neutering clinic. 

Alycia Eisenstein, chief medical officer at PAWS Chicago, said the shelter travelled to Brownsville after seeing a need for the services in the Rio Grande Valley.

“For the size of Chicago relative to Brownsville, I think the ratio is huge compared to how much the need is in Brownsville," Eisenstein said.

A total of 140 dogs and cats were helped during the three-day event.

Eisenstein said she recommends all animal lovers get their pets spayed or neutered. According to Eisenstein, the procedure helps reduce the population in shelters and improves the pet's health. 

“Females they are intact, they have a higher chance of mammary cancer, uterine cancer, uterine infections,” Eisenstein aid. “For male dogs, they can get testicular cancer, they get prostate cancer."

PAWS Chicago said they hope to come back to Brownsville to continue their efforts in the future. 

Until then, BARCC plans to continue to find different partnerships to offer low-cost services to pet owners in the hopes of freeing up their shelters.

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