Archive: Around Town

Two ASPCA®  grants will help the SPCA of Tompkins County stem the tide of pet overpopulation in the area.  The first grant will provide the most obvious enhancement to the shelter’s extensive low-cost spay/neuter programs. A grant for $90,450 was designated specifically for the purchase of a Sprinter van, custom outfitted for the safe transport of animals to spay/neuter clinics.

The Sprinter is tall enough for a person to stand comfortably while loading animals, and is climate controlled for the safety of the animals. The grant also provides support for the operating expenses of the vehicle for the entire first year.

“This is an amazing addition to our ability to expand spay/neuter programs,” says Jim Bouderau, executive director. “We are incredibly grateful to the ASPCA for their very generous support and for helping us address the problem of pet overpopulation head on.”

The new vehicle will be publicly unveiled during the Ithaca Festival Parade on May 29th, where thousands of community members will get their first look it and will also be able to pick up a spay/neuter application.

Combined with a second grant from the ASPCA® for $15,000 to hire a part time staff person, the SPCA will start work in targeted areas of cat overpopulation to coordinate trapping and transport of free-roaming cats to the clinics for surgery. The new part time Outreach Coordinator, Robyn Melechinsky, will also work with residents to arrange transport of pet cats and dogs en masse from neighborhoods on scheduled clinic days.

Bouderau goes on to say, “While we won’t be picking up one pet at a time, we will be coordinating days where whole neighborhoods have a chance to have their pets transported to the shelter and back for spay/neuter surgery. With nearly 3,000 unwanted pets entering our shelter every year, and more than 1,500 reports of neglect, abandonment, or cruelty to investigate, spaying and neutering is the most effective way to have a positive impact on the problem.”

Combined with an earlier grant of $48,300 from the ASPCA® through the New York State Animal Population Control Program, the SPCA of Tompkins County now has many ‘tool in its toolbox’ to help local residents who wish to take advantage of the spay/neuter program a the shelter. Since the program began in earnest in 2007, more than 10,000 pets have been altered.

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