By By ANNA M. LEE Managing Editor
Thanks to the Humane Society of Escambia County's (HSEC) Spay Neuter Incentive Program (SNIP), county residents who are on Alabama Medicaid or food stamps can have their pets spayed or neutered at a lower cost.
To take advantage of the savings, qualified individuals can visit any veterinarian in Escambia County and purchase a certificate. The certificate, which is $40 for dogs and $25 for cats, entitles the purchaser one spay or neuter.
Pets must be up-to-date on their shots to be eligible, but if they are not, for an additional cost of $20, all disease preventative shots will be administered. The certificates can be used right away, or for those pets too young to undergo surgery, they can be used at their appropriate age.
SNIP certificates must be purchased by Sept. 30, 2004, and are limited to two per qualified pet owner.
In other news, HSEC had a very successful day at the Blueberry Festival in June, finding homes for six of the 12 dogs they had on site.
In further efforts to find homes for pets, HSEC is seeking foster families. These families will assist HSEC by taking in pets that have been altered and vaccinated, and giving them a loving home until they are permanently adopted. Families must meet various criteria, including fenced in yards for dogs, and indoor areas for cats.
HSEC will also soon be posting pictures and information on available pets at www.petfinder.com. Community members will be able to visit this website, type in their zip code and see all the available pets at the Humane Society. This should be in place by the end of the August.
On Sept. 4 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. HSEC will hold on-site adoptions in the Wal-mart shopping center. Cats and dogs will be available for adoption at the rate of $65, which includes shots and altering. More on-site adoptions will be held at the Pollard Friendship Festival on Sept. 11.
HSEC is also currently having an on-going membership drive. Membership is just $15 for individuals and $25 for families. They also have business memberships at varying rates. Anyone interested in joining, or for information about meetings, can contact Vice President Renee Jones at 251-867-9292.