150 Gloucester Animals to Be ‘Fixed’ for Free After PETA Staff Forfeit Birthday and Wedding Gifts

For Immediate Release:
April 9, 2025

Contact:
Nicole Perreira 202-483-7382

Gloucester, Va. –

Thanks to funds raised by three PETA staffers, who recently requested donations in lieu of birthday and wedding gifts, 150 animals in Gloucester will receive free spay/neuter surgeries. Appointments are fully booked on PETA’s three mobile clinics coming to town on Friday, and staff will work tirelessly to vaccinate and microchip the animals, too—all free of charge.

The special event is being funded by donors celebrating the birthday of Gloucester native Thomas McNulty, PETA’s veterinary and field outreach specialist, and the wedding of Katherine Sullivan Paden, a PETA field outreach worker, and Daniel Sullivan Paden, PETA’s vice president of legal advocacy. The Sullivan Padens, who met at work, told their family and friends that animals should be altered to celebrate their going to the altar.

“What better way to celebrate the beginning of a beautiful life together—and another year of serving those in dire need—than to help fix the companion animal overpopulation crisis and give cats and dogs a happy, healthier future,” says Daniel Sullivan Paden. “We’re profoundly grateful for the generosity of loved ones who made these free spay and neuter surgeries from PETA possible.”

Where: Gloucester County Animal Control, 6584 Beehive Dr., Gloucester

When: Friday, April 11, 9 a.m. until mid-afternoon

*Gloucester native Thomas McNulty returning animals sterilized on PETA’s mobile spay/neuter clinic to an underserved area. Photo: PETA*

Why: PETA’s mobile clinics have sterilized more than 232,000 animals since the program’s inception in 2001, preventing the births of millions of unwanted kittens and puppies. Sterilization also reduces or eliminates animals’ risk of suffering from several reproductive health issues and can lead to longer and happier lives.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.