2009.01.08
Grant will provide litter control
A grant from PetSmart Charities should mean there will soon be fewer unwanted puppies and kittens in Franklin County.
The foundation recently awarded more than $15,000 to offset the cost of spaying and neutering the pets of low-income families, according to a news release from the county's Humane Society. The grant should provide a fix for 312 pets.
According to the news release, applicants for this Spay Neuter Assistance Program (S.N.A.P.) will be required to prove Social Services eligibility and residency in Franklin County. Pet owners who meet all the requirements will be charged $10 for the sterilization surgery and a rabies vaccine.
The $10 fee will be put back into the S.N.A.P. program to “spay it forward” to provide an additional 79 surgeries, so that should remove almost 400 critters from the dating scene.
The first round of appointments will be limited to one cat and one dog per family. Interested pet owners are asked to call the Humane Society’s Planned Pethood Clinic at 489-3491 to schedule an appointment. The discounted procedures will be limited to the first 391 pets but may be extended if enough donations are received to sponsor additional surgeries.
“We are happy that PetSmart Charities has made it possible for us to be able to offer this program to Franklin County residents,” Donna Essig, president of the Franklin County Humane Society, is quoted in the news release. “We hope that these targeted sterilizations will have a major impact on the numbers of puppies and kittens being brought to area shelters next spring and will reduce the number of homeless or feral animals in our area."
When I shop at PetSmart, I always kick in an extra buck when I check out for the PetSmart Foundation to help homeless pets. I'm happy to know that at least a couple of dollars will be put to good use here in our area.
It is good to hear what that money goes to! I have always wondered.
Comment by Michelle — January 8, 2009 @ 8:16 am