York County SPCA to Expand Spay/Neuter Capabilities
Partnership with the Humane Alliance is the First in Pennsylvania
York, PA – The York County SPCA on Saturday, Aug. 10, will introduce a
new and expanded spay/neuter clinic with food and festivities from noon-2 p.m.
that include face painting, local vendors and tours of the facility. If you’ve
been looking for a reason to stop by, this would be the weekend. Join us as the
York facility celebrates a cool success on a hot summer’s day. Selected for a highly
acclaimed mentorship program with the Humane Alliance, the York County SPCA is
the first program in the state of Pennsylvania invited to participate.
Under the Humane Alliance program
– a group that has successfully launched 100 prototypes nationwide and whose
programs have led to a substantial reduction in euthanasia where adopted and
which also was recognized as the 2011 top non-profit by Philanthropedia –
there’s a dual emphasis on increasing pet adoptions as well as reducing the
birth of unwanted animals that later face euthanasia.
Melissa Smith, executive director
of the York County SPCA, says the expansion will allow the facility to perform three
times more surgeries as well as make spay/neutering services both more
affordable and more easily accessible to central Pennsylvania and regional pet
owners.
The York County Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) site - founded in 1926 and located at
3159 Susquehanna Trail North - has long been dedicated both to rescuing and
adopting out homeless pets as well as reducing the number of animals euthanized
in shelters.
The York County SPCA spay/neuter
clinic will ultimately allow almost 18,000 spay/neuter surgeries annually, up
from the current 5,000.
The expansion of the spay/neuter
clinic is especially timely as Pennsylvania leads the nation in the number of
rabid cats born in the wild and is second in the number of rabies cases. Nearly
two-thirds of all animals taken in are cats and three quarters of those are
strays.
In June 2006, the York County SPCA opened a 17,000-square-foot
facility designed to rescue unwanted pets – and reached capacity within just
two weeks. The facility currently processes nearly 7,000 incoming animals each
year, at a cost of approximately $215 per animal or $1.5 million total.
Spay/neutering is viewed as a
more economical and humane solution to animal overpopulation.
Since opening its doors in 1994,
the Humane Alliance has surgically sterilized more than 265,000 animals in
Western North Carolina as well as replicated its model nationwide through a
hands-on strategic training program that addresses the urgent need for a
skilled and well organized mentor to help guide other humane organizations in
the financially self-sustaining operation of high-volume, high quality
spay/neuter clinics.
Nationwide, these clinics now perform spay/neuter
surgeries on more 400,000 animals annually. In addition to its 75% reduction in
euthanasia, there has been a corresponding drop in the need for animal intakes.
In order to qualify for the
Humane Alliance mentoring program, a human population of at least 250,000 must
reside within a 60-mile radius and a sufficient need must exist as evidenced by
a lack of similar high volume spay/neuter facilities within a 2-hour drive. In
York County, the population exceeds 435,000 and several million reside within
the 60-mile radius. The closest affiliated clinics are in Washington, DC and
Newark, DE.
The York County SPCA plants to
initially utilize one full-time veterinarian and corresponding team of
technicians and staff dedicated exclusively to spay/neuter efforts, operating
approximately five days a week for 50 weeks a year. At a minimum of 35
surgeries per day, initial surgery volume is projected to be 8,750. Over time,
a second spay/neuter team will double capacity to almost 18,000 surgeries
annually.
“The experience of the
Humane Alliance in Asheville, NC and similar partner facilities has shown a
notable improvement in the animal overpopulation and a corresponding reduction
in animal control costs,” notes
Smith, “including
significant enhancements to broader public health and safety. Comparable benefits could be expected in York
County as well. Unique opportunities to make a meaningful difference in the
community do not present themselves often. The planets are now aligned to
implement and execute a comprehensive solution to the animal overpopulation
challenge and simultaneously ensure that the YCSPCA continues to be the same
force for community good for future generations as it has been in the past for
nearly 90 years.”
The York County SPCA is
independent, 90% donor funded, and has no affiliation with the American SPCA
nor receives any funding from other national humane organizations. Its mission
is to find permanent, loving homes for displaced and stray animals, to help
control animal population growth, investigate and prosecute cruelty to animal
offenders, and to educate the public about animal wellness and safety. For more
information, visit its
website or
Facebook page.
