EPAS Unleashed

As pet parents, our jobs are much more than just making sure our pet has the basic needs—we also have to make sure they are loved and protected. In this month’s episode of EPAS Unleashed, we talk with Certified Behavior Consultant Jenna Pellerito about dog behavior, what to look out for when looking for a dog trainer, how to keep our pets happy with enrichment, and the importance of Fear Free Training. 

About Jenna Pellerito CBCC-KA, ABC-DT

Jenna Pellerito is a Canine Behavior Consultant and Dog Trainer who has been in an...

Living in the vibrant Chihuahuan Desert, we are no strangers to seeing wildlife. In this month's episode of EPAS Unleashed, we talk with Nicole Roque from Texas Parks and Wildlife about our diverse ecosystem, how we can not only live amongst but coexist with our local wildlife, and how to protect ourselves, our pets and our wildlife.

About Nicole Roque
Nicole Roque has serves as the Community Outreach Specialist at Hueco Tanks State Park and Historic Site in El Paso, Texas. She has worked within the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for about six years, beginning...

May is National Mental Health Awareness month and we sat down with Executive Director, Isidro Torres with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) El Paso branch to talk about mental health, mental illness, resources for the community and of course, how pets can help support mental health and wellness. 

During the month of May, NAMI's national Mental Health Awareness campaign was all about "Taking the Moment" and prioritizing talking about mental health without feeling guilty or ashamed. While stigma around mental health persists, one thing remains true—our pets never judge us and are always there to...

Temperatures are rising and we're feeling the heat—the heat of being inundated with puppies and kittens, and the prevalence of disease in our region. In this month's episode of EPAS Unleashed, we sit down with our guest, Dr. Priscilla Rubio from TLC Animal Hospital to talk about how YOU can help 'Beat The Heat.'

This episode covers the importance of vaccinating your pets, spaying and neutering, and how by taking these actions as a responsible pet owner, you can make our community a healthier place for pets. 

What topics do you want to hea...

EPAS Education Coordinator, Jessica Navarro sits down with Wayside Waifs to talk about their No More Bullying program and how it increases empathy amongst elementary school students toward both humans and animals. 

Thanks to a partnership following a recent fellowship, El Paso Animal Services will be bringing this program to the El Paso community! Learn more about the No More Bullying program in this month’s episode. If you're an educator that would like to learn how you can bring the No More Bullying program into your classroom, reach out to us at EPASoutreach@elpasotexas.gov.

Happy Howlidays from all of us at El Paso Animal Services! In this month's episode of EPAS Unleashed, we sit with Dr. Priscilla Rubio from TLC Animal Hospital to answer your questions about pet safety around the holidays—everything from what can and CAN'T pets eat, what plants are dangerous, and other ways you can avoid an emergency trip to the vet that nobody wants. 

Thank you to all of our listeners for tuning in to our very first year of our podcast. We want to cover the topics you want to hear, and help make this pod...

Did you know that there is extensive research that proves there's a strong link between family violence and animal abuse? People abused by people often abuse animals, and people who abuse animals also often abuse people—it's an endless cycle. 

In this month's episode of EPAS Unleashed, we sit with Anabel and Marissa from the EmpOURment Project at the El Paso Center Against Sexual and Family Violence to talk about the link between human and animal violence, different types of violence and abuse, what to look out for, and how to seek out help or offer support.

You've probably heard the popular saying, "Adopt Don't Shop." In this month's episode of EPAS Unleashed, we talk about why you should make adoption your ONLY option, how breeding is not only (in most cases) illegal in the borderland, the impact it has on pet overpopulation, and how you can help.

Every year, millions of animals end up in shelters across the country, while backyard breeders and puppy mills sell puppies and kittens by the thousands solely for profit, and not for the well-being of their animals. 

We talk to our Animal Protection Supervisor, Alberto O...

Our guest this month said it best, “From East Coast to West Coast, ear tips save lives!”

This month’s episode of EPAS Unleashed, we chat with host of The Community Cats Podcast, Stacy LeBaron about community cats, TNR, and how a community can come together to save lives while also reducing the cat population in neighborhoods.

We cover a lot of information in this episode, and reference some great resources for anyone looking to start, or enhance, TNR efforts! You can find links to some of those resources below:

The Community Cats Podcas...

Anyone can foster, and we mean ANYONE! But don't take it from us, one of our amazing fosters and volunteers Josette sits down with us to talk about how she finds the time to make a difference in shelter pets lives, even with a full time job and pets of her own.

We hope this inspires you to consider fostering with your local shelter or rescue, too! If you're local to El Paso and want to try fostering a pet, visit our website for more information on our Foster program: www.ElPasoAnimalServices.org/foster.

Have...

June is National Foster Appreciation Month, and in this month's episode of EPAS Unleashed, we chat with our Foster Coordinator, Valentin Garcia about all-things fostering! All your foster questions are answered here, and learn a bit about how this program came to be. 

Thank you to all of the amazing people that open their homes to a shelter pet in need! 

About Valentin Garcia
Valentin joined El Paso Animal Services about thirteen years ago when he started as an Animal Care Attendant. He worked his way up through the department through various divisions, including An...

May is National Chip Your Pet Month, and in this month's episode, we speak with our Community and Pet Support Supervisor, Renee Rojas to talk about the importance of pet microchipping, and the resources that El Paso Animal Services offers to help keep pets at home with the families that love them. 

If you're in El Paso and your pet needs a microchip, we offer FREE microchipping services every month! Visit our website www.ElPasoAnimalServices.org/calendar for more information. 

About Renee Rojas
Renee Rojas began working with El Paso Animal Services eleven years ag...

In this episode of EPAS Unleashed, we sit down with our Volunteer Coordinator, Jessica Hernandez to learn about the volunteer program at El Paso Animal Services, how the community can help, and upcoming events. Whether you're a dog lover, a cat lover, want to help from home, are 8 years old to 99 years old, we have something you can help with!

If this episode inspired you to volunteer, visit our website www.ElPasoAnimalServices.org/volunteer to get started.

About Jessica Hernandez
Jess first started working for the City of El Paso over 10 years ago, but...

In this month's episode of EPAS Unleashed, we talk about Prevention of Animal Cruelty Month, a day in the life of an Animal Protection Officer, and how you can help keep your community's pets safe from cruelty or neglect. 

To find out more about our 'Go Orange for Animals' campaign and how you can help, visit our website www.ElPasoAnimalServices.org/news.

About Gina Ramirez

Gina Ramirez is the Animal Protection Field Manager at El Paso Animal Services. She's been with the department over 18 years and has seen it grow f...

If you have baby fever, or you just love kittens and thought about fostering, this episode is for you! We get down to the nitty gritty of fostering neonatal kittens, kitten season and TNR (trap-neuter-return) with this month's special guest, Nicole Wisneskie from Best Friends Animal Society. 

To find more information about kitten season and fostering, visit our website www.SaveTheKittensEP.com. 

About Nicole Wisneskie and the Shelter Embed Project

Nicole is an Operations Manager with Best Friends Animal Society who is currently embedded in operations at El Paso Animal Se...

In this month's episode of the EPAS Unleashed Podcast, we're talking to our sole resident veterinarian, Dr. Tony Chacon, about National Spay/Neuter Awareness Month or National Prevent A Litter Month, the importance of spaying or neutering your pet, the health and behavior benefits, and some common misconceptions associated with fixing your pet. 

To find spay/neuter resources in the El Paso community, visit our partners www.EPVMA.org. 

About Dr. Tony Chacon
Dr. Chacon is a borderland native, growing up in Anthony and started his education at NMSU and then moved to the Un...

On our last episode, we talked about National Train Your Dog Month. This bonus Q&A episode, we took your questions to one of our Training & Enrichment Coordinators, Mason Castillo.

Tune in later this month where we'll talk with our Veterinarian, Dr. Tony Chacon about Spay/Neuter Awareness Month and the many benefits of making sure your pet is spayed or neutered. 

Have ideas for future Unleashed episodes? Email us at EPASoutreach@elpasotexas.gov! Don't forget to follow us on social media:

Kicking the year off with our very first episode of EPAS Unleashed! January is National Train Your Dog Month, so this month we are talking to El Paso Animal Services' very own Animal Training & Enrichment Coordinator, Mason Castillo about what animal training is, the importance of puppy socialization, and learning animal behavior. 

El Paso Animal Services offers great resources to new pet parents and foster parents to help ease the transition of welcoming a new pet into your family. Visit our website for a list of resources mentioned in this month's episode!

About Mason Castillo

Hello animal lovers! We are excited to introduce our new podcast, EPAS Unleashed! Every month we'll bring you new episodes covering various topics, including pet tips, lifesaving news, special guests and more. We are making this for you, our community, and would love to cover topics you'd find interesting—reach out to us if you have an idea! Email us at EPASoutreach@elpasotexas.gov.

Have ideas for future Unleashed episodes? Email us at EPASoutreach@elpasotexas.gov! Don't forget to follow us on social media: