Agencies band together to help pet overpopulation By Rhonda Griffin April 7, 2010 In a collaborated effort between A Shelter Friend, the Elizabethtown Veterinary Hospital and the Columbus County Humane Society, Bladen County held its first low-income spay/neuter clinic Wednesday.
Unwanted and homeless animals often end up running around neighborhoods, most eventually making their way to the Bladen County Animal Shelter by being dropped off at the facility or picked up by Animal Control. Many are adopted into loving homes, but some who have no place to go are unfortunately put down. The low-income spay/neuter clinic is a method of helping to stop the growing animal population before it starts. Some owners, though loving and attentive to their pets, simply do not have the money available to take their animals to be spayed or neutered, which can lead to additional pets that may not be wanted. The clinic has been in the works for about three years, and has finally become a reality. In the first of several, 26 animals were spayed or neutered, along with rabies vaccinations, dewormer and complimentary ear and nail trimmings by the staff of the Elizabethtown Veterinary Hospital. In fact, Dr. and Mrs. Gensel have chosen to close the hospital one day each month and, along with their staff, have volunteered their time to host the clinics and perform the surgeries all day. Hospital Administrator Teri Thomson, who coordinated the hospital's participation in the event, said the staff had a steady schedule of surgeries all day for this clinic that would not be completed until at least 4 p.m. This month's clinic was a trial run, said Silvia Kim, a volunteer with A Shelter Friend who helps get Bladen animals adopted into caring homes, and there will be space for more in upcoming clinics, which will be held once a month at the Elizabethtown Veterinary Hospital. “I volunteer at the shelter and I get to see the intake of animals,” she said. “We are relocating dogs to save lives, but I would like to see us not having to send so many. The way to do that is to stop production.” Kim said it is common to see litters of puppies and kittens dropped off at the shelter in Bladen County, and there are simply not enough homes for them to be placed. Dogs generally have a higher adoption rate, but the story is often different for cats, she said. “There is no reason for having all of these beautiful animals to die,” she said. “We need to make sure they are all wanted. They are not disposable.”
Janet Hinson of the Columbus County Humane Society said that the problem is prominent there as well. “In Columbus County, we take animals to PetSmart every Saturday and had 32 adopted last month,” Hinson said. “We have volunteers who go to the shelter to take photos to run on Craigslist, which also helps.” However, the volunteers agreed that there are just too many animals and not enough homes. There are hopes that when word of the low-income spay/neuter clinics gets out, more veterinarians will jump on board to help with the problem as well. The clinics, along with the local animal shelters and other organizations, are always looking for volunteers and foster homes to work with these animals. For more information on how you can help, contact A Shelter Friend at asf@intrstar.net; the Bladen County Animal Shelter at 862-6918; or the Columbus County Humane Society at 640-3700. For more information about the low-income spay/neuter clinics, call 645-2297 or 640-3700 to see if you qualify. |