New Castle – The Brandywine Valley SPCA (BVSPCA) has launched two new spay/neuter campaigns to help reduce the number of unwanted pets thanks to two grants from PetSmart Charities, the leading animal welfare funder in North America. The grants will help fund spay/neuter surgeries for only $20 for family pets in New Castle County during the month of March and free surgeries for community cats in New Castle County and the City of Wilmington through the end of 2017.
“PetSmart Charities is thrilled to partner with the Brandywine Valley SPCA to proactively prevent unplanned litters and reduce local pet shelter intake,” said David Haworth, DVM, Ph.D., president of PetSmart Charities. “With the help of these grants, we are confident that the organization will be able to make a tremendous impact with the upcoming spay and neuter campaigns in an effort to end pet homelessness in the community.”
$20 Spay/Neuter for Family Pets in March
For family pets in New Castle county, the BVSPCA is offering spay/neuter surgeries for just a $20 co-pay during the month of March. The “Lucky Charms” campaign is the first of three “blitz” campaigns to run in 2017 thanks to a generous grant from PetSmart Charities.
PetSmart Charities awarded the BVSPCA a $76,000 grant to run a series of spay/neuter blitz campaigns during 2017. These month-long campaigns are designed to reduce the number of homeless pets by preventing the birth of unwanted litters. The BVSPCA blitz campaigns aim to reach at least 1400 family pets by the end of 2017. The campaign is available to residents of New Castle County, as well as Chester County and Delaware County in Pennsylvania.
The BVSPCA performed more than 10,000 spay/neuter surgeries in 2016 through its Animal Health Centers in Malvern, PA, and New Castle, DE. “Our Animal Health Centers specialize in high quality, low-cost surgery,” said Adam Lamb, BVSPCA Chief Executive Officer. “Having the support of PetSmart Charities to offer these blitz campaigns will allow us to reach even more family pets in our community so fewer unwanted kittens and puppies end up in shelters.”
The March Lucky Charms campaign includes cats and dogs, both male and female. Clients need to schedule their appointment by March 31, 2017, by calling the BVSPCA Animal Health Center in New Castle, DE, at (302) 516-1004.
Free Spay/Neuter for Community Cats
The BVSPCA received an additional $50,000 grant from PetSmart Charities to offer free trap-neuter-vaccinate-return (TNVR) for at least 1250 community cats living in New Castle County and the City of Wilmington through the end of 2017. The initiative’s aim is to reduce the number of unwanted cats and kittens entering shelters while improving the quality of life for community cats.
A community cat is an unowned, free-roaming cat whose home is outdoors and neighbors are helping to care for them. Community cats will be humanely trapped by local caregivers, taken to the BVSPCA’s Animal Health Center to be spayed/neutered and vaccinated, and then returned to the location they were found to live out their lives.
“Our Community Cat Program focuses on identifying areas with significant cat populations and offers services and support for the residents of those communities,” said Lamb. “Having PetSmart’s support for this 2017 initiative will go a long way in helping to reduce the number of strays and unwanted kittens entering shelters.”
This initiative complements another community cat initiative in progress in Seaford and Georgetown. Funded by an anonymous donor, the BVSPCA has been running a program that started with a state-wide assessment to determine the communities with the most need and is subsequently offering free TVNR in the towns of Seaford and Georgetown. Following completion of the targeted number of surgeries, a post-surgery assessment will be done in these communities, as well as Laurel as a control group, to determine the impact and inform future programs.
Source: Brandywine Valley SPCA
Image Credits: BVSPCA
