Club encourages students to advocate for animals

A student club at Las Vegas Academy wants to educate the public on the importance of being responsible pet owners, especially as it concerns the spaying and neutering of cats and dogs.

The club fundraised enough money to spay and neuter 25 pets last year for LVA families. Those procedures typically can cost more than $100, according to math teacher and club adviser Brooke O'Gara.

"There are so many animals being put down every year," O'Gara said. "We can't adopt our way out of this problem, we can't euthanize our way out of this problem. The key really is on spay and neutering."

The club's second annual Puppy Pow Wow is scheduled from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday at the school, 315 S. Seventh St.

The Puppy Pow Wow is the club's largest fundraiser of the year and is set to include food, student performances and prize giveaways, including a two-night stay in California from Grand Pacific Resorts. There also will be a spa for dogs where they can be groomed and even have their nails painted.

Entry is free and open to the public. Proceeds from the event will help cover the cost to spay and neuter pets for families at Canyon Springs High School, 350 E. Alexander Road in North Las Vegas, where another Paws for Change club has started. The Meadows School, 8601 Scholar Lane, also started a club and plans to participate at the Puppy Pow Wow.

The LVA club has set a goal of helping 50 families from the event. The club has partnered with the Las Vegas Valley Humane Society and Heaven Can Wait Animal Society to handle the procedures.

O'Gara has long been an animal lover and a volunteer at animal shelters. She started the club two years ago after noticing that although her school had more than 60 student clubs, none advocated for animals.

O'Gara posted a sign-up sheet and had more than 100 students registered by the end of the week.

Club president Jovonie Tejero, a 17-year-old senior, has been in the club since its infancy. He said the club usually begins with a lot of members but dwindles throughout the school year. He still expects to have a solid base of 25 to 30 students by the end of this year.

"All these kids really love the club," Tejero said. "They love volunteering. I think kids really enjoy spending time with animals and helping them. Who doesn't love animals?"

Tejero and fellow club members volunteer monthly at The Animal Foundation to play with and care for the pets.

"These cats and dogs stay in the cage all day," Tejero said. "What better way is there to have them be loving than to interact with people all the time? When they get adopted, they'll be more playful. We get them to be more adoptable."

The Animal Foundation is the valley's largest animal shelter, taking in more than 50,000 homeless, lost or unwanted animals each year. More than half of those are euthanized because of overcrowding.

O'Gara's goal is to have a Paws for Change club started at every school to increase awareness in every community. Many families, she said, do not even realize it is illegal to breed pets without a license.

"These teenagers need to be educated on what's going on," O'Gara said. "A lot of them think it's cute to have puppies. This is a serious problem we're facing, and we can really make a difference."

Contact View education reporter Jeff Mosier at jmosier@viewnews.com or 224-5524.