FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
MEDIA CONTACT:
Lee County Animal Services
(239)
432-2090 Ext. 241
Fort Myers,
Florida, February 10, 2003—Lee County Animal Services will participate in
Spay Day USA by providing up to 1000 spay or neuter surgeries for low-income
pet owners. While Spay Day is
actually celebrated on February 25, Lee County Animal Services will target
neighborhoods during the months of February and March with the largest
population of unaltered pets owned by residents unable to afford the
sterilization procedure. Coupons
will be issued to qualifying pet owners to cover the cost of the surgeries
performed at Lee County Animal Services’ Clinic and Affordable Spay/Neuter
of Lee County, Inc.
The Doris Day
Animal Foundation, creator of Spay Day USA, has chosen the U.S. Postal
Services’ Spay/Neuter Commemorative Stamp as this year’s campaign theme.
The Foundation is encouraging every American to do their part in “stamping
out pet overpopulation.” 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, Animal Services must end the lives of over 8,000 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.
Lee County Animal
Services Director, Scott Trebatoski, believes there is a more humane and less
costly solution. “We are making
this offer to low-income pet owners to help ease this crisis while we wait 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.
“Just like Lee County’s Human Services Department works with these
residents to correct social and economic problems associated with low-income
neighborhoods, Animal Services must also work to provide solutions to their
pet problems,” adds Trebatoski. Research
shows that spay/neuter programs have not been successful without targeting low
socioeconomic areas.
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.