The Human Society of Pike County’s Spay Neuter Clinic is now open and pet owners are encouraged to “Please, be ‘humane’ – spay/neuter.”

Donna Brockmann, HSPC president, said the humane society has once again allotted a total of $12,000 to the four veterinary practices in Pike County to spay/neuter any dog or cat belonging to a citizen of Pike County or to a Troy University student.

“The Humane Society of Pike County will pay $50 toward each procedure,” Brockmann said. “Reducing the pet population is at the forefront of our mission in serving animals. There are simply too many animals, and not enough humans, to be loved.

“Additionally, there are so many unwanted animals. Spaying and neutering helps greatly with these dilemmas.”

To participate in the program, Brockmann said pet owners should call the local veterinarian practice of their choice and make an appointment to have the procedure done.

“Pet owners need to make sure to say that they are participating in the spay/neuter program offered by the Humane Society of Pike County,” she said. “The veterinarians will take $50 off the cost of the procedure and the pet owner will be responsible for the balance.

The spay/neuter program is an annual service that the Human Society of Pike County provides for residents of Pike County.

“By reducing the number of stray dogs and cats, everyone benefits,” Brockmann said.

The spay/neuter program is funded in large part by the humane society’s annual Pet Photo Contest. In the spring of 2016, about 230 dogs and or cats were spayed or neuter with funds raised through the Pet Photo Contest.

“This year, we had more animals in the 2017 Pet Photo Contest but not as many votes were cast,” Brockmann said. “We made about $2,500 less than the year before so we’ll have less money for our spay/neuter programs, that include the Feral Cat and also the ‘Families in Need’ programs.”

The HSPC’s feral cat program is an effort to reduce the number of stray cats in the county.

“The humane society provides a cage for tapping feral cats,” Brockmann said.

The cats are then spayed/neutered at no cost or a minimal cost and most often return to the colony.

“We have situations were fetal cats are relocated,” Brockmann said. “Barn cats are often needed to control the mice population. We had feral cat that was not friendly with the chickens on the farm and had to be relocated. But most often, the cats are returned to their colony but will not reproduce, thus helping to curb the growing problem of feral cats in the county.”

The Families in Need program assists families that are having difficulty with the expenses of owning an animal or animals during unforeseen circumstances.”