The Spay & Neuter Clinic of Southern Pines Animal Shelter Receives $90,750 Grant from PetSmart Charities®

January 5, 2012

The Spay & Neuter Clinic of Southern Pines Animal Shelter received a $90,750 grant this week from PetSmart Charities® to increase its number of spay/neuter operations for pets of Lamar County residents.  Because Lamar County is the second largest source of unwanted pets for Southern Pines Animal Shelter, this program is specifically targeting Lamar County pets.

The organization’s Spay & Neuter Clinic, which opened in July of 2009, has successfully altered more than 13,000 area pets.  The Clinic has a goal of altering (or “fixing”) over 6,000 pets in 2012 as the organization continues to proactively fight the Pine Belt’s dire pet overpopulation problem.

"With dedicated focus and a plan like Southern Pines Animal Shelter’s, we are able to make strides toward helping end homeless-pet overpopulation," said Susana Della Maddalena, vice president and executive director of PetSmart Charities, Inc. "Successful, low-cost spay/neuter programs like this one are so valuable to local communities, and PetSmart Charities is proud to be able to support these life-saving initiatives."
The new program offers spay/neuter by donation for pets of Lamar County residents --- pet owners will be asked to “pay what you can.”  PetSmart Charities encourages removing the cost barrier for individuals in the target area of Lamar County so that the maximum number of pets will be altered.

“We are excited to increase the number of spay/neuter surgeries for pets from Lamar County,” said Valerie Rachal, Research and Development Manager for Southern Pines Animal Shelter.  “We plan to measure the impact of these high numbers of surgeries on shelter intake --- with the expectation that we’ll see a drop in shelter intake from Lamar County residents over the next two years.  Additionally, we hope that our targeted spay/neuter program will become a model for other agencies across the country.”

The Spay & Neuter Clinic is located at 5360 US Hwy 49 S in the Marketplace Antique Building just south of Pearl River Community College in Hattiesburg.  The Clinic is open Monday through Thursday from 7:15 am to 5:00 pm and can be reached at 601-544-5678 to make an appointment.

About Southern Pines Animal Shelter

Southern Pines Animal Shelter was founded in 1954 to provide shelter for homeless pets, reunite lost pets with their owners, find homes for unwanted pets, educate the community about the problems of unwanted and abused pets, and help end pet overpopulation in the Pine Belt area.  In addition to its Spay & Neuter Clinic program, the organization operates a Shelter that receives as many as 9,000 lost and unwanted dogs and cats a year.  For more information about Southern Pines Animal Shelter and its programs call 601-544-5678 or visit www.SouthernPinesAnimalShelter.org