Contact: Jill Winans (541) 345-3566
wagclinic@aol.com

(Eugene, Oregon) --- March 6, 2007 -- The Willamette Animal Guild has just signed the lease for the first high-volume low-cost spay/neuter clinic for low-income pet owners and feral cat caregivers in Lane County. They hope to begin operations in two months after the building’s remodel.

During the summer of 2004, members of WAG hosted the Oregon Neutermobile, a mobile S/N clinic. During the seven weeks it was there, operating 3 days a week, 611 animals were altered. This demonstrated that the demand in Lane County is tremendous. The entire clinic was booked in 2 weeks and could have kept been continued indefinitely just through word-of-mouth.

In April 2005, WAG members attended Best Friend’s No More Homeless Pets Conference. “I found my Holy Grail there,” says Jill Winans, WAG’s Executive Director. Thanks to a grant from PetSmart, the Humane Alliance was at the conference with help for other groups wanting to emulate their model clinic.

On May 30, 2006, WAG was accepted into the Humane Alliance’s National Spay/Neuter Response team, which offers, at no cost, a proven business plan, discounted prices on equipment, and on-site training of efficient medical and administrative practices that enable a one-veterinarian clinic to perform 6,000 surgeries in a year.

There are an estimated 40-60,000 unspayed and unneutered cats and dogs in Lane County. It is impossible to estimate the numbers of feral (wild) cats, but almost every apartment complex and many businesses are home to colonies of ten, twenty, thirty or more

At Eugene/Springfield veterinary hospitals, a cat spay averages $135; a dog spay, $205. A cat neuter averages $85; a dog neuter, $153. These fees put spay/neuter well beyond the reach of low-income pet owners and feral cat caregivers caring for colonies of multiple cats. The City of Eugene operates a spay/neuter clinic, but appointments are consistently two months out, resulting in litters born before surgeries become available.

With a high-volume, affordable spay/neuter clinic in operation, WAG can reduce the number of unwanted, abused, and abandoned cats and dogs in Lane County. The clinic will also aid local animal-welfare organizations that need to do alteration before adoption, but most of all, the clinic will be aiding the many low-income pet owners of Lane County who want to do the right thing but just can’t handle the expense.

Ever since the Neutermobile had to pack up and drive away, WAG has been working toward a full-time, fixed-location, low-cost spay/neuter clinic for Lane County. Thanks to collaborative efforts on the part of Humane Alliance and Best Friends, this dream is about to become a reality.

Find out more about the Humane Alliance at www.humanealliance.org.

Tax-deductible contributions are always welcome at WAG, 3003 W. 11th Ave. #196, Eugene 97402. http://www.wagwag.org/