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Thursday, March 28
The Indiana Daily Student

Humane society promotes national Spay Day

Love is in the air this month, which means it’s the perfect time to get that special pet spayed or neutered.\nThe 14th annual Spay Day USA is Feb. 26, but events will be taking place throughout the end of February and into early March. \nSpay Day, sponsored by The Humane Society of the United States, is the only national day to promote the spaying and neutering of pets. \n“Spay Day is important because of increasing animal overpopulation,” said Sarah Hayes, chief executive officer of the Monroe County Humane Association. “The Bloomington Animal Shelter admits over 5,200 animals a year and only around 53 percent get adopted.” \nAccording to the Humane Society’s Web site, Spay Day both offers spay/neuter services, but also promote spaying/neutering as an essential component of good pet care, and a humane means of decreasing the number of homeless animals.\n“Spay Day is a national campaign by the Humane Society, where each local shelter carries on their own promotions,” Hayes said.\nThe Monroe County Humane Association will celebrate Spay Day by selling $5 vouchers for a spay or neuter surgery to low-income Monroe County applicants at both Bloomington K-mart locations. \n“I think that us being out among the public brings more of an awareness of these vouchers to more people,” said Nancy Lee, a regular Monroe County Humane Association volunteer, “There are a lot of people that do not know of the MCHA’S Spay/Neuter Assistance Program, which pays a portion of the cost of the surgery. Spay Day not only offers vouchers for $5, but it helps get the word out about the regular program.”\nMonroe County residents that are eligible can go to K-mart East, 3216 E. Third St., Feb. 23 and 24 to fill out an application and purchase vouchers. Vouchers will also be available at K-mart West, 3175 W. Third St., March 8 and 9. The vouchers are good for either Pets ALIVE Spay/Neuter Clinic or Town and Country Vet Clinic. \nWhile every day might be Spay Day for Pets ALIVE for Karla Kamstra, founder of Pets ALIVE, they have teamed up with the Monroe County Humane Society for several years now to help out on Spay Day.\n“(Pets ALIVE was founded) when I became aware of how many animals were being euthanized at our local shelter in 2002,” Kamstra said. “Since then, thanks largely to the efforts of Pets ALIVE and the programs we helped bring to Monroe County, that euthanasia rate is much lower.”

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