To Open a High-Volume, Low-Cost Spay/Neuter Clinic in Kingston, Ontario
- por: Spay Neuter Kingston Initiative
- destinatário: City of Kingston Council members
Positions
1. Pet overpopulation is a serious problem.
2. Shelters and animal service facilities cannot accommodate all the animals that come to their doors.
3. Euthanasia is not the answer for pet population control.
4. Spaying and neutering pets reduces the number of unwanted animals coming in to shelters and reduces the burden on resources.
5. Spay/neuter education leads to fewer homeless pets and leads to better care for all others.
6. Feral cats, frequently euthanized due to unadoptability if brought in to a shelter, would be better served by T/N/R (Trap/Neuter/Return) programs which is not only more humane, but which stabilizes the colony and controls breeding.
Adopting from a shelter is a wonderful and rewarding experience but it doesn't solve the big problem overpopulation of companion animals. There are simply too many dogs and cats (especially cats) being born for the number of homes wanting to take them in. Most adult dogs and cats entering shelters have not been "fixed". Some are brought in already pregnant, including animals surrendered to shelters by their owners. Many entering will not find new homes. Pet overpopulation is a dismaying, heart-breaking issue.
What has worked to reduce pet overpopulation in the United States, beginning in Asheville, North Carolina in 1994, are low cost, spay/neuter clinics, open to the general public. With some minor variations between clinics, that is typically all they do. Spaying and neutering is a one-time cost in the life of an animal and owners without a veterinarian (generally about 80%) are encouraged by clinic staff to have their animals seen by a "vet" on a regular basis. The non-profit corporation which pioneered these facilities is called Humane Alliance. Their website is www.humanealliance.org.
In 2009, the first such spay/neuter service opened in Ontario. Located in Newmarket, it has been overwhelmed with interest and is booking months in advance for spay/neuter surgeries, with people coming from as far away as Elliott Lake. See their website at www.spayneuter.ospca.ca There are now groups in Hamilton, Kitchener-Waterloo, Barrie, Lindsay, St. Catharines, Ottawa and Port Colborne working to set up such services in their own areas. The directors of Peterborough Humane Society have recently voted to open such a service, based on the Humane Alliance model, in their city.
Spay Neuter Kingston Initiative is looking to "facilitate" the opening of a high volume, low cost spay/neuter service in the Kingston and surrounding area as there is no doubt that such a service is needed. If the Humane Alliance model is followed, these services are designed to be self-sustaining after a few years as they become more efficient at what they do. It has also been shown that their existence significantly reduces the number of animals coming into area shelters which means better outcomes for the animals that do. There will always be a need for animal shelters, but with better animal population management, shelters can go back to being what they were meant for, a place to "temporarily" house abused and abandoned animals. Shelters were never meant to be what they have become, a revolving door through which many animals never return.
The status quo is no longer effective and it is now time for a change.
We the undersigned, respectfully request that the Mayor and members of City Council open a high-volume, low cost, spay/neuter clinic in the Kingston area.
The O.S.P.C.A. opened their first high-volume, low cost, spay/neuter clinic in Newmarket, Ontario in 2009. This facility is based on the "Humane Alliance" model (http://humanealliance.org/) used extensively, and effectively, across the U.S. These clinics are open to all members of the public with no monetary or demographic restrictions. These clinics are also set up to become "self-sustaining" within a set period of time, if Humane Alliance protocols are followed. The O.S.P.C.A. has now opened a second such facility in Barrie, Ontario.
Pet overpopulation is at critical levels throughout Ontario because many pet owners simply cannot afford spay/neuter surgery fees. Thousands of healthy pets are euthanized annually due to overcrowding and/or lack of available homes. High volume spay/neutering of dogs and cats has proven to be the ONLY solution to pet over-population.
In 2009, the City budgeted $185,386 for Animal Control and paid $125,310 to the KHS for "pound" services. In 2008, the City budgeted $171,656 for Animal Control and paid $110,099 to the KHS for "pound" services. This was an increase of $28,911 from 2008 to 2009. The City of Kingston spends an enormous amount yearly on Animal Control and pound services, and the number of homeless and unwanted cats and dogs is increasing not decreasing. The status quo is ineffective and unacceptable.
As a taxpayer, I prefer to see my hard earned dollars used in a proactive manner as well as in a way that will actually be of benefit rather than by simply continuing to provide a temporary shelter for unwanted and homeless pets, far too many of which are simply euthanized.
Thank you for your time and your consideration of this most urgent issue.
ao assinar, você aceita o termos de serviço da Care2 Você pode gerenciar suas assinaturas de e-mail a qualquer momento.
Está tendo algum problema?? Avise-nos.