Española Humane will break ground on a new 7,010-square-foot animal clinic at 2125 El Llano Road on Thursday (3/20), marking a significant expansion for the organization, which has served Northern New Mexico since 1992.
The new facility, funded entirely by private donations and fundraising efforts, aims to address the region’s growing animal welfare needs under the leadership of its new Director Kate Baldwin.
Baldwin, a Virginia native with a background in animal welfare, brings experience from her time as chief operations officer and acting CEO at the Virginia Beach Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). After a year-and-a-half working at the National Archives Foundation in Washington, D.C., she saw the Española Humane job posting and seized the opportunity to return to her passion.
“I’d always wanted to live in Santa Fe,” Baldwin said. “I was ready for a change and getting back into animal welfare was definitely a goal of mine, and this just seemed like the perfect blend of mission work and place.”
The new clinic, a substantial expansion from the current 1,700-square-foot space at 108 Hamm Parkway, will more than quadruple the organization’s capacity. In 2023, Española Humane performed 7,330 free surgeries — 6,806 spay/neuters and 524 specialty surgeries, according to its 2023 annual report. Since opening its public clinic in 2016, the organization has completed nearly 50,000 surgeries, according to Baldwin.
In fact, in 2023, Española Humane provided more spay/neuter surgeries than any other nonprofit in New Mexico, according to the annual report.
“We’re at max capacity now,” Baldwin said. “This new clinic will allow us to amplify our efforts and meet the community’s needs.”
The organization’s shelter took in 4,405 unwanted pets in 2023 — 60% dogs, 39% cats and less than 1% other species — up 876 from the previous year, reflecting a 64% increase over two years. With a 77% save rate, Española Humane achieved 3,221 life-saving outcomes, including 1,762 pets fostered before adoption and 722 placed by transfer partners, according to the 2023 annual report.
Española Humane directs all donations to its mission-driven programs, with 2023 revenue totaling $4,505,138 — $4.2 million (93%) from fundraising, $216,000 (4%) from government contracts, and $128,000 (3%) from program fees. Expenses reached $4,132,151, with $3.3 million allocated to programs, $538,000 to fundraising, and $251,000 to general costs, according to the 2023 annual report.
“All donations go directly to the programs that deliver our mission,” Baldwin said, while adding that the organization has a number of programs that expand sheltering capacity through boarding, transfers, the Paws in the Pen program and outreach programs. “Our main costs are sheltering and spay/neuter services. Anyone who has come to our shelter can see that we don’t spend money on bells and whistles, donor dollars go directly to the animals.”
The groundbreaking event on Thursday will feature board members, donors and Baldwin, who will outline the clinic’s future goals. Construction, set to begin immediately thereafter, is slated for completion by late 2025 or early 2026.
“This is a monumental moment for our area and for our organization,” Baldwin said. “It’s a celebration of a community coming together to continue to do good work for the animals.”
Her vision extends beyond the clinic. The Pet Amigos program, which helped 741 animals in 2023 through door-to-door outreach, aims to grow more robust in its mission to transport pets from rural areas for spay/neutering services.
“We’re impacting the animals of tomorrow,” Baldwin said, citing New Mexico’s annual shelter intake of 135,000 animals, half of which are euthanized due to overcrowding.
The new clinic is funded entirely by donations, according to Baldwin.
“We still have a little bit of fundraising to do until we meet our entire goal, but we know that our community supports what we do, and so we’re really confident that we’re going to get there,” she said.
In 2023, 89% of funds went directly to animal care, earning Española Humane a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator and a Platinum Seal from Candid.
For now, all eyes are on the groundbreaking, when shovels hit the dirt,signaling a new chapter for Española Humane and the animals it serves.