The Animal Shelter of the Wood River Valley has received grants totaling $6,200 for its community spay and neuter programs.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has given the shelter $3,000; The Deer Creek Fund of the Helen K. and Arthur E. Johnson Foundation, $2,200; and the Donald W. and Gretchen K. Fraser Fund in the Idaho Community Foundation, $1,000.
This past year the shelter’s no-cost community spay and neuter program provided nearly 400 spay/neuter surgeries for dogs and cats of needy families in Blaine County.
“Four to six million healthy, adoptable pets are euthanized each year in this country because they don’t have homes,” said Dr. Jo-Anne Dixon, animal shelter medical director/executive director. “We are not going to “shelter” our way out of the problem. No number of shelters can keep up with the ability of animals to reproduce. A strong spay/neuter program is essential if we are to remain a no-kill shelter.
“We are grateful to these organizations, as well as all of our other donors, in recognizing the importance of this life saving program and in helping us continue our mission as a no-kill shelter,” she added.
For information about the spay and neuter clinics, call the shelter at (208) 788-4351
The Animal Shelter of the Wood River Valley, the first “no kill” shelter in Idaho, promotes companion animal welfare by providing temporary shelter for homeless animals, adopting them to qualified homes and reducing animal abuse, neglect and overpopulation through community education and spay/neuter services. More than 90 percent of its funding comes from private donations.
In 2009 more than 1,500 animals received services from the shelter. This includes 350 animals that were adopted, 252 lost animals that were reunited with their owners, 255 shelter animals spayed/neutered, and 387 privately owned animals that were spayed or neutered at no cost to their owners. On an average day, the shelter cares for 45 dogs and 45 cats.
Additional information is available at www.animalshelterwrv.org.
Jo Murray is a public relations consultant to the Animal Shelter of the Wood River Valley.