Animal Protection Society Creates Spay/Neuter Clinic for Low Income

By the Animal Protection Society of Friday Harbor

On Feb. 23, coinciding with World Spay Day, The Animal Protection Society Friday Harbor announced the launch of the APS-FH Spay/Neuter Clinic.

According to The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, “cost is the reason most often cited by owners for not having their dogs and cats spayed or neutered. People with low incomes are nearly as likely to own pets as are people with high incomes, indicating that many animals live in households that simply cannot afford full-service veterinary care.”

On San Juan Island, 10.2% of people live in poverty.

To address this need, APS-FH has historically provided vouchers, including $50 per dog and $25 per cat, to help low-income residents spay/neuter their pets. But even with this voucher, the additional cost of spaying or neutering a pet can be prohibitive for people living below the poverty line.

The APS-FH Spay/Neuter Clinic will expand its current services to provide in-house, high-quality spaying and neutering of dogs and cats to qualifying low-income residents.

This will make it more affordable for our low-income community members to spay/neuter their pets; improving pet-health and reducing the number of abandoned, homeless, and surrendered pets. Clinic information will be available in both English and Spanish.

The APS-FH Spay/Neuter Clinic will ramp up slowly to ensure the highest level of services, starting with one appointment per week for public animals. We hope to quickly increase the number of procedures: look for information in future newsletters or our website.

If you or someone you know could benefit from our services, please call the shelter at 360-378-2158. As the program grows, more information will be available about the clinic at www.apsfh.com.

APS-FH is dedicated to supporting our community in the spay/neuter effort. To further assist our low-income residents, APS-FH is actively raising funds for those who need additional financial assistance beyond the amount of the low-cost services. If you would like to contribute to this fund, please consider donating to the clinic, which you can do by visiting www.apsfh.com.

You can support the San Juan Update by doing business with our loyal advertisers, and by making a one-time contribution or a recurring donation.