News
Tough Economic Times Mean Tough Decisions for Many Pet Owners
May 03, 2009, 6:46PM MT
By Jennifer S Hayes
Humane Ohio reduces low-cost spay/neuter prices even further and makes plans to increase services.
Humane Ohio reduces low-cost spay/neuter prices even further and makes plans to increase services.
By Amy Wagner, Best Friends staff
Everyone knows that times are tough for people all over the country, and Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan are no different. Many people are struggling to make ends meet, living from paycheck to paycheck, trying to figure out how they’re going to make their house payment and their car payment AND have money left over to care for their beloved pet and family member. That often means that spaying/neutering the family pet is not affordable – despite the health and behavioral benefits to the animal – nor is the financial cost that goes along with caring for a litter or litters.
Humane Ohio, a non-profit organization (based in Toledo, Ohio) that operates a low-cost spay/neuter clinic, can help. The organization always offers low-cost spay/neuter prices for dogs and cats and serves all area pet owners, but, thanks to grants they’ve secured, they’re reducing their normal rates even further for pet owners with Labradors, pit bulls, litters and multiple pets while the grant money lasts. The special spay/neuter prices are as follows:
• Labradors/lab mixes: $50 (or $60 if your dog is 70 lbs. or over)
• Pit bulls/pit mixes: $20 (or $30 if your dog is 70 lbs. or over)
• Litters: $25 off the regular cost to spay or neuter each puppy or kitten
• Multiple pets (applies to pet owners with two or more cats, two or more dogs, or a combination of dogs and cats): $25 off the regular cost to spay or neuter each animal.
Humane Ohio runs other promotions throughout the year too, like “Beat the Heat” every February and “NO Father’s Day” every June where they reduce their normal low-cost spay/neuter prices to $20 for female cats (“Beat the Heat”) and male cats (“NO Father’s Day”). The organization plans to celebrate “NO Father’s Day” again this June and people need to mention the “NO Father’s Day” promotion when they make their appointment to qualify for the special rate.
The group also has grant money available that will allow them to reduce their spay/neuter prices for stray and owned cats in Toledo’s 43605, 43609 and 43614 zip codes. Stray cats are FREE, but must come in a humane trap and receive an eartip, and owned cats are $25. Pet owners must provide proof of residency.
Lisa Hochradel, Humane Ohio Clinic Director, says, “We run special promotions throughout the year, whenever grant money and private donations allow us to do so. Our promotions allow us to help more pet owners and more animals. We can help more people afford to have their pets fixed, so they save money on the cost of the spay/neuter surgery, and they do not find themselves in a position where they have to be financially responsible for a whole litter or litters of puppies and kittens.”
Hochradel continues, “Our promotions also help the animals, and the shelters and rescue groups. Black labs, for example, are one of the most common breeds of dogs in shelters nationwide, and therefore, one of the most euthanized. By offering special spay/neuter rates to pet owners with labs and lab mixes, we can prevent unwanted litters and help reduce the number of labs that are surrendered to local shelters.”
Hochradel encourages every pet owner in need of low-cost spay/neuter to contact Humane Ohio, even if they think they can’t afford it. “We often have grant money or private donations that will allow us to reduce our normal low-cost spay/neuter prices even further. We serve all area pet owners, and we offer a special, even lower rate to pet owners on Medicaid, Food Stamps, WIC, SSI, Section 8 Public Housing, AFDC, TANF and the Heat Assistance Program. If a pet owner cannot afford even our low-cost price, we do have further financial assistance available.”
And while Humane Ohio is offering all of these special promotions and prices, they’re making plans to increase their services. Humane Ohio will soon move to a new, larger facility with the space for two veterinarians to work (their current facility only has physical space for one vet to work at a time). The addition of a second vet means the organization will be able to go from spaying/neutering 8,700 animals a year to 14,000 annually. They believe the larger facility will allow them to meet the demand for low-cost spay/neuter throughout the region, help more pet owners and animals, take on more animal shelter and rescue group partners (they currently have 24 throughout seven counties in Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan and they spay/neuter their animals before adoption) and make a greater impact on pet overpopulation.
All of Humane Ohio’s special promotions are based on availability. Please visit www.humaneohio.org for more information, or call 419-266-5607 to make an appointment. People can also visit the organization’s Web site or call them to learn more about their “Raise the Roof” campaign to raise the necessary funds to move to a larger facility and increase their services. Monetary donations and in-kind donations (like building materials, supplies and labor) are needed for the new building, and in-kind donations (like prizes, food and drinks) are needed for their “FirstGiving” fundraiser and “Raise the Roof” Open House Celebration.
Humane Ohio operates a low-cost spay/neuter clinic to serve all pet owners, feral/stray cat caretakers, animal shelters and rescue groups. The non-profit organization can offer low-cost spay/neuter prices because private donations and grants help subsidize the true, higher cost of spay/neuter procedures. Humane Ohio believes that all animals should receive the highest quality veterinary care possible. Their clinic uses state of the art instruments and equipment, all spay/neuter surgeries are performed by qualified, licensed vets (DVMs) and every patient receives a brief physical exam and quality pain medication. Humane Ohio has fixed 25,000 dogs and cats since 2002, including 8,700 in 2008 alone!
Support Humane Ohio by contributing to their Raise the Roof campaign.
For more information about the importance of sterilizing your pets, please join the Spay/Neuter Fever! community.
Posted by Jennifer Hayes, Best Friends staff
Photo credit: taken by Jennifer Hayes