Friends of El Paso Animal Services
Friends of El Paso Animal Services (Friends of EPAS) strives to find and keep pets in loving homes. To make El Paso a no-kill community, the City's shelter needs tremendous philanthropic and community support to reach and sustain this lifesaving goal. Friends of EPAS is a non-profit foundation supported by the El Paso Community Foundation created to bridge the gap between El Paso Animal Services, the animals in its care, and the community, providing innovative programs to help the shelter and the almost 20,000 animals that they care for every year. It CAN be done with your help! Be a friend to the animals and join our lifesaving mission!

Causes: Advocacy, Animals, Homelessness and Housing

Making the borderland a better place for animals.

Friends of EPAS strives to create limitless possibilities for the City shelter by increasing the value of services and the agility in which those services are provided. We raise funds to directly benefit El Paso Animal Services in three major areas: Funding Medical Needs, Supporting Animal Care and Lifesaving Programs, and Helping Keep Families Together. Caring for tens of thousands of pets each year requires great support. EPAS works hard to increase quality of life for shelter pets and reduce unnecessary euthanasia through its lifesaving goals, and by fundraising, Friends of EPAS is able to help additional resources and options to support their mission.

Friends of EPAS focuses support on three key elements:

Funding Medical Needs Providing monetary support to fund lifesaving medical care and speciality surgeries needed to help pets thrive in new homes. As the only shelter in the borderland that accepts the pets most in need, regardless of medical condition or shelter space, El Paso Animal Services is often caring for pets suffering from extreme trauma, life-threatening illnesses and other medical ailments. Funding goes to ensuring any treatable pet is able to get the medical care they need, either within the shelter or with a partner private clinic.

Supporting Lifesaving Programs and Exceptional Animal Care Since El Paso Animal Services reformed their operations in 2016, dozens of programs and services have been implemented to ensure the shelter continues to move toward its no-kill mission. Some examples of these programs include: Foster, Animal Training & Enrichment, Community Cats, Volunteer and more. Your gift goes directly to the animals and the hardworking volunteers dedicated to helping pets in need such as providing enrichment items to reduce shelter stress and animal supplies to keep pets in foster homes and out of the shelter.

Keeping Families Together El Paso Animal Services doesn’t just care for homeless pets, but also has programs to ensure pets don’t end up without a home in the first place. Oftentimes, families don’t want to have to give up their pet, but life and circumstances pressure them into having to make tough decisions. By helping us fund pet support programming, we can help keep pets with the families that love them, rather than them ending up at the shelter, through programs such as free and low-cost Pet Wellness Services, Pet Pantry, Pet Resources and more.

Charlie came into the shelter nearly blind, severely underweight, and he wouldn’t stop shaking.⁠ ⁠ EPAS staff took him into an office and discovered what a special pup he was, despite his age. He was loving, gentle, and even though he was scared, he wanted love. Then he caught the eye of one of our favorite fosters, and the rest is history. He’s been in fospice for the last year, living out the rest of his days in love and comfort.⁠ ⁠ “I just wanted to let Charlie's shelter parents know Charlie is settling in nicely at home. He got a bath, bed, blanket, sweater, and bow tie collar. He is loving having a home, he’s having so much fun with his new brothers and sisters. He’s even visited White Sands! He is doing great and living his best life. He loves going hiking (even though he spends most of the hike in his tummy carrier) and he loves borrowing the baby swing and playing with his fur siblings. He also got to meet his dad a few months ago, I brought him home shortly after my husband deployed. He and Charlie are best buddies already.⁠ ⁠ Fospice is never easy, but it is a wonderful gift to give a senior pet. Charlie’s days are filled with love, soft blankets, fun, and adventure thanks to a foster, and we couldn’t be more grateful. We think he looks even younger than when he left a year ago.⁠ ⁠ Your donations help provide supplies to our lifesaving fosters like Charlie's family.

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