Woof Meow! Big Fix Makes a Dif!
October 30, 2026
They don’t even call the place I live “rural.” It’s called a Frontier 1 county: Okanogan County, WA. Where’s that, you ask? Northeast Washington, about 50 miles from the Canadian border. It’s the largest county in the state, with the fewest people, and it’s pretty desolate with a slow economy, to put it mildly.
Many folks own livestock and pets around here. Owning animals is not cheap with the current cost of feed, health care, and supplies. Some households can’t afford to spay or neuter their dogs or cats, and people sadly dump animals they don’t want or can no longer afford along highways, deserted roads, near farms, or really anywhere.
The county has no funded Humane Society or Animal Control Department. A few animal rescues run by loving volunteers exist, but not enough to handle the volume. This is why the Big Fix event is so impactful for our community.
It’s organized by Team Okanogan Animal Rescue and The Greater Good. It’s a four-day event where volunteers and veterinarians from across the country and around the world come together to provide free spay/neuter and vaccination services for cats and dogs. It’s first-come, first-served, and folks line up even two days before the event to make sure their animals are seen.
The process is so organized and seamless that they are able to help up to 250 dogs and cats a day!
Helping in the kitchen to feed volunteers
My husband and I signed up to volunteer in the kitchen (we know our skill set!) to feed everyone breakfast, snacks, lunch, and dinner, as it’s a large operation with dozens of volunteers.
TOAR president Jill Servais graciously took us on an informative tour of the entire operation, from drive-up check-in and the waiting area to the surgery prep area, operating room, recovery area, and the “beach,” where dogs are placed on mats and blankets to gently wake up and recover from anesthesia while volunteers pet them and coax them back to a fully awake state.
There are mountains of transport cages and traps for those who bring in members of “cat communities” (aka feral cats) to be spayed and neutered. Staff catch these cats the night before and treat them first, so they have time to recover before being released the same evening. A community cat’s ear is clipped to indicate it has already been spayed or neutered, helping prevent the procedure from being repeated later.
Upon departure, pet parents can “shop” at a warehouse FULL of free supplies, supplements, food, treats, beds, leashes, and other items donated by Chewy and Ridwell. So those items you donate to Ridwell DO get recycled and used. Great job, everyone!
Our hearts were so touched by the volunteers and the countless hours of work and organization that go into an event like this. It really blew us away. What a beautiful example of how amazingly compassionate human beings can be and how deeply people care about their community and about helping our animal friends.
It costs at least $50,000 to put on this event, and the funds come from grants, fundraising events, and private donations.
My husband and I have a gourmet hot dog side hustle called Rancho Wieneria, and we chose Team Okanogan Animal Rescue (TOAR) as our Q3 and Q4 recipients for our “giving back to the community” campaign. We donate a portion of our proceeds to a local charity, just like A & M Insurance does each month based on your referrals!
L-R Big Fix 6.0 Kitchen Volunteers: Tracey, Amy, Katherine, Billy & puppy
This year we chose animal rescues, and honestly, after our experience today, we’re going to stick with that again next year. There’s a tremendous need for funds and volunteers.
If you would like to immediately help TOAR with next year’s Big Fix, you can vote for them in The Greater Good’s contest, which is offering a $50,000 grant to one of the worthy animal rescue organizations they partner with for these spay/neuter events.
Here is the link:
To vote, click on the heart. You’ll be prompted to enter your email address, and they will send you a code to enter. You can vote DAILY until 11/5/26.
You can also make a donation on their website:
Team Okanogan Animal Rescue (TOAR)
If you feel so inclined, please take a moment to make an impact on an animal’s life and the community that cares for it.
*A & M Insurance is also participating in helping by choosing TOAR to be their referral campaign recipient for November, so please refer your people to us for insurance quotes and you’ll get a $10 coffee card as a thank you and TOAR will get $20 for each referral!
Tracey Bartel
Fur & Feather Baby Mama & Insurance Agent