MEDIA CONTACT: Ria Brown, Public Information Specialist, Lee County Animal Services
(239) 432-2090 Ext. 241
Fort Myers, Florida, April 5, 2004—Lee County Animal Services and Affordable Spay-Neuter of Lee County, Inc. recently joined forces to target pet overpopulation in low-income neighborhoods. From February 24th through March 31st residents of Charleston Park, Dunbar, Harlem Heights, Page Park, Palmona Park, Pine Manor, and Suncoast Estates were eligible for free spay or neuter surgery for their pets at the Affordable Spay-Neuter Clinic courtesy of Lee County Animal Services. Lee County residents who do not live in any of these neighborhoods but are receiving public assistance were also eligible for the program.
The program began on February 24th, which is Spay Day USA, a national campaign to promote the life saving benefits of spaying and neutering. During the five-week program in Lee County, 368 dogs and cats were sterilized. Theresa Ink, owner of the Affordable Spay-Neuter Clinic, says 75% came from Suncoast Estates or were pet owners on public assistance. Twenty-five percent were from the other five low-income neighborhoods that are also serviced by Lee County’s Human Services Department.
Ink and her staff also believe that 80% of these pets would never have been sterilized were it not for the program. They also report that 70% of the dogs and cats had already had numerous litters. The clinic was swamped with phone calls and did an estimated 40 surgeries per day to accommodate the requests from eligible residents plus their normal surgery load.
Ninety percent of the pets were unvaccinated and unlicensed. Lee County Animal Services also covered the cost of a rabies shot and county license for these pets plus a nationally registered Microchip ID. Scott Trebatoski, Animal Services’ Director, felt it was important to make the offer to low-income pet owners in these neighborhoods and begin to address the overpopulation crisis while waiting for the purchase of a mobile spay/neuter clinic. The county’s mobile clinic would travel to target areas and provide a solution not currently available to these residents. Besides making the procedure affordable, the mobile clinic would overcome another major obstacle – lack of transportation.
Currently, America’s shelter workers are forced to euthanize an estimated five million homeless cats and dogs each year or one every 6 and one half seconds. Locally, Lee County Animal Services must end the lives of over 9,000 unwanted pets each year. The cost to taxpayers to pick up, house, and eventually euthanize these abandoned pets can be as high as $176 per animal.
For more information regarding spaying and neutering solutions and benefits, or to view lost pets and pets for adoption, contact Lee County Animal Services at (239) 432-2083 or www.LeeLostPets.com.