ESPAÑOLA, N.M. (KRQE) – In an effort to tackle pet overpopulation and suffering on a larger scale, Española Humane is on its way to opening up a new animal clinic. It's been years in the making, and now Española Humane is breaking ground on something big. They're breaking ground on a new an imal clinic, aimed at decreasing the number of unwanted and homeless pets as well as providing more pet resources state-wide. “This new clinic is going to allow us to increase our free spay-neuter numbers by about 30%, which is huge,” said Mattie Allen, Española Humane. These services are meant to combat the pet overpopulation crisis, Española Humane is seeing. “There's so many pets out there who are having litters of puppies and kittens that people don't want, and they end up in shelters or they end up sick and suffering on the streets,” said Allen. VIDEO: Española mayor drops shopping carts in a city hall parking spot causing controversy Nearly a decade ago, Española Humane opened its free spay and neuter clinic out of a double-wide trailer. That small space is where they currently do 40 to 50 surgeries a day. Fifty thousand surgeries later, they're ready to step into a new location to extend their reach.  Allen said the ceremony commemorating the beginning of this new journey was more than just a groundbreaking. “I wasn't expecting to feel emotional, but when we dug our shovels into the ground and lunged some dirt, it finally felt real,” she said. A few furry friends also joined in on the fun like an alumni pit bull. “Jellybean was one of 10 little, tiny pit bull puppies that were left in a little swimming pool, like one of those plastic kids swimming pools, in our parking lot a couple of years ago,” said Allen. After roughly nine weeks of foster care, Allen was the one who adopted her. "These dogs just really show us why we need these free spay-neuter services,” said Allen. Española Humane hopes to open the clinic as early as the end of this year. The group is halfway to their fundraising goal of $9 million. If you would like to donate, click here. ...read more read less