Highway To Freedom

05/19/2026

Update - 5/25 at 7:20 p.m. - We've had more than 500 appointment requests in the first 15 minutes, so some categories may be full. Our team needs time to review and approve/decline requests, which might open a few more spaces. Keep watching our page for updates. Thank you for your patience.

➡️REGISTRATION LINK
https://bit.ly/TESPSHS62026
READ THE FAQs BELOW BEFORE YOU SIGN UP!!! Please allow our team some time to review and approve/decline appointments.
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OUR NEXT FREE SPAY/NEUTER EVENT IS ON SATURDAY, JUNE 6!!!

Cat and dog owners living in Zip Codes 77372, 77357, 77327, 77328, 77365, & 77306 are eligible to register for FREE spay/neuter, vaccinations, and microchips. Appointments will go FAST, so mark your calendar to register. See details below!

➡️HOW DO I REGISTER?
On Memorial Day - Monday, May 25 at 7 p.m., The Empty Shelter Project-Texas Facebook and Instagram pages will post a NEW message with the link to our registration page, and we will update this post. READ THE FAQs BELOW BEFORE YOU SIGN UP!!!

THE EVENT
📆Saturday, June 6
📍Splendora High School
23747 FM 2090, Splendora, TX 77372

FAQS
✅ Owned cats & dogs from 2 to 90 lbs. are welcome!
❌ Volunteers DO NOT get preferential treatment for sign-up, check-in, or check-out. The process is the same for all pet owners.
❌ We aren't able to fix puppies under 4 months old and kittens under 2 lbs.
❌ No pets older than 8 years old.
❌We DO NOT offer a vaccine/microchip-only clinic. Our focus is spay/neuter. ✂
❌ Flat-faced dog breeds (ex. Pugs, Boston Terriers, French Bulldogs, and English Bulldogs) and large breeds (ex. Great Danes, Cane Corsos, and Mastiffs) are not eligible for this event due to their specialized anesthesia needs.

04/29/2026

If you’ve recently had to make the decision to send a beloved pet to the Rainbow Bridge, wild animals may be the last thing on your mind. But, if you’re not careful, your pet’s death could actually cause even more suffering.

Sometimes, particularly among people who live in apartments and don’t have appropriate places to bury their pets, laying them to rest can be difficult. Fees for cremation can be costly to an owner who may have already put themselves in debt to try to save their pet. And it’s not easy, especially in the city, to find a friend who will allow you to bury a pet on their property.

Even if you have space, digging a sufficiently deep grave for a ninety-pound dog can be impossible for someone trying to use a regular shovel in rocky soil. Faced with what may feel like no other option, some owners simply lay their pet in the forest, or even put the body in a dumpster to go to the landfill.

Unfortunately, euthanized pets’ bodies don’t just go “away.” Our native scavengers— vultures, opossums, raccoons, coyotes, crows, and others— are the undertakers of the wild world and go to work quickly, not knowing that they’re eating flesh poisoned with euthanasia drugs. The scavengers ultimately end up passing away after ingesting these medications (and often leaving orphans behind).

Please be kind to wildlife while facing the loss of your pet. If you can’t afford an additional cremation fee after your pet’s euthanasia, tell your vet that you have no other options. She may be able to work out lower-cost options, though your pet’s ashes would not be returned to you in those situations. Your city’s public health department or animal control may also offer services for disposing of deceased animals at no cost to you.

If none of those options are available to you, don’t be afraid to reach out for help using social media or your local Nextdoor or neighborhood group. There are many animal lovers in the world, some of whom may be strong people with shovels and land to loan, and they may help you give your pet a proper burial deep enough underground to avoid scavengers.

Please don’t allow your loss to also cause losses for wild animals and their families. Always dispose of a euthanized pet’s body responsibly.

04/28/2026