Those currently with dogs in Athens County will be asked to help fund efforts to reduce unwanted pets that may eventually be euthanized while applying for a dog license.
While ending the killing of dogs in gas chambers at the Athens County Dog Shelter has been on the agenda of local activists for some time, groups are also working to preventing the large number of dogs and cats in the area.
As a result of the smaller numbers of animals being spayed and neutered, Athens County has accumulated a vast overpopulation of dogs, said Anne Cornwell, treasurer of Friends of Shelter Dogs.
Overpopulation of animals is common in areas of low income and can prevent each animal from getting proper care. The Ohio Spay and Neuter Project aims to provide inexpensive spay and neutering services to low income areas.
The project has a spay-and-neuter clinic, called The Andy, which is based out of Columbus Dog Connection.
“It was an overwhelming thing, we were spinning our wheels and just couldn’t keep up with all the dogs,” said Pauline Giannaras, a transport driver for Friends of the Shelter Dogs. “(The Shelter) was a Band-Aid on the problem, and our resources were going to run out, so that was when I found The Andy.”
In Athens County, people applying for a dog license will also receive a card requesting that they donate funds that will pay to spay and neuter local dogs.
The card will be inserted into every dog license application, and the money raised will pay for a mobile spay and neuter clinic to come to Athens and provide affordable services to the animals in Athens County.
“We recommend spaying and neutering, but it’s not a law so we can’t require it,” said Jeff Koons, Athens County Dog Warden. “If a dog is not spayed or neutered…then people who are not properly equipped could have litters of puppies on their hands and that’s not always a good thing.”
The problem is that many people in Athens County just cannot afford to spay and neuter their animals, Cornwell said. If those animals have litters, the shelter ends up with many dogs on their hands.
The money raised from the fundraising will go towards bringing the mobile clinic to Athens, and will hopefully pay for animals in low-income families to get fixed, she said.
“To spay or neuter an animal at The Andy is about $60,” Cornwell said. “Many people want to get their animals fixed but can’t afford that price. Hopefully this will change that.”
Cornwell hopes that this project will raise about $25,000 to start off. If everyone that bought a license donated, it would be possible to raise even more, Cornwell said.
“There are no statistics for it, but in 2011, 1,595 dogs entered the shelter and a very low percentage was spayed or neutered,” Cornwell said. “That is a tremendous number for a small county, and if we don’t do anything about it, more dogs will come and it will be never-ending. With a cycle like this, it’s hard to make a difference.”
“We can’t have 1,600 dogs coming into the shelters,” Cornwell said. “We want to make it so that someday that number can be lower. Our long-term goal is to maybe have a permanent clinic in Athens. Our goal right now is to help people the most.”
cw105510@ohiou.edu
