Downtown Dog Rescue Makes Impact with Our New Targeted Spay/Neuter Grant
July 1, 2010
We gave Downtown Dog Rescue in Compton, Calif., one of the first grants from our new grant guidelines from September 2009. The group plans to increase mobile spay/neuter clinics in Compton, Calif., from four per year to 16, providing about 700 sterilizations for the pets of low-income residents.
We invited animal-welfare organizations to apply for targeted spay/neuter programs, which include efforts to sterilize owned pets by concentrating on an identified local need or problem. Downtown Dog Rescue will use the grant funds to spay/neuter dogs, primarily pit bull terriers, owned by low-income residents in Compton. Dog owners will be able to receive free spay/neuter surgery at the 16 mobile clinics.
“Our goal is not to turn anyone away,” said Lori Weise, founder. “We work closely with Los Angeles County Animal Control to identify and persuade people to bring their pets in. No one had ever done anything in Compton before, and now there’s a definite improvement. People are getting the idea that if they have a dog, they go to the clinics.”
Downtown Dog Rescue will collaborate with three mobile clinics to provide the spay/neuter services and also will receive matching funds from the County of Los Angeles Animal Services spay/neuter fund.
We expect the use of this targeted spay/neuter grant funding to reduce unaltered and stray dogs – notably pit bull terriers, which in the target area are disproportionately surrendered to or impounded by local shelters and animal-control agencies. We selected Downtown Dog Rescue as a grant recipient because of their well-thought-out collaboration with other key members in the community and their ability to provide baseline data on intakes from the targeted area and updated reports on their progress.
“We know we can’t be all things to everyone,” continued Weise. “But choosing a targeted area is a good way to see results. The park where we hold the mobile clinics let us know that they see the benefits – there are no longer packs of dogs scaring kids. We are so appreciative of PetSmart Charities® for helping to make this happen.”
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