206 Austin Ave, 1st Floor
Columbia, MO 65203
573-397-6443
Columbia, MO 65203
573-397-6443
Please visit The Spay Neuter Project website!
Columbia Tribune
January, 9th, 2015 Local spay/neuter clinic receives grant By JODIE JACKSON JR. A low-cost spay and neuter clinic that will open in April in central Columbia has received an $83,000 grant from PetSmart Charities to help purchase surgical equipment. The clinic — The Spay Neuter Project — is part of No Kill Columbia, a not-for-profit, grass-roots organization founded in 2011 with the goal of reducing the number of unwanted and homeless dogs and cats. The 3,000-square-foot clinic will be located at 206 Austin Avenue, just west of Hickman High School and one block north of Business Loop 70. “This is strictly a low-cost, high-volume, high-quality spay/neuter clinic,” said Ronnye Randall, executive director of The Spay Neuter Project. The clinic will provide wellness checks before surgeries and might add a low-cost vaccination and microchip service later, but it will not be a full-service veterinary practice. “The No. 1 reason for pet overpopulation in this country is that not enough people spay or neuter their animals,” she said. “People want to do what is best for their pets, but, in many cases, it is a question of affordability.” The Spay Neuter Project will help meet that need, she said. Randall, who is relocating to Columbia from Texas at the end of January, said she has a business background and experience with a variety of animal welfare groups and projects. “I’m really looking forward to it,” she said, adding that the clinic hopes to provide 7,500 spay and neuter surgeries each year — an average of 33 per day. The clinic will serve Boone and neighboring counties, offering transportation to and from the clinic. The clinic will also promote long-term healthy pet initiatives in partnership with local veterinarians. Randall said the clinic will have a veterinarian on staff. “We are still interviewing for that position,” she said. “We do need to fill it quickly.” The Spay Neuter Project
The time has come! Thousands of dogs and cats are killed at Mid-Missouri shelters each year. The time is NOW for a more proactive approach to reducing the large number of unwanted and homeless pets in Mid Missouri.
No Kill Columbia has been accepted into the prestigious Humane Alliance National Spay/Neuter Response Team (NSNRT) program. Humane Alliance is a nationally recognized nonprofit organization that focus on high-volume, high-quality, low-cost companion animal sterilization. In 1994, they started a small spay/neuter clinic in Asheville, NC, and due to the success in reducing unwanted litters which resulted in a decrease of animals entering their shelters and animals being euthanized, the Humane Alliance have fostered a mentoring culture across the country to successfully replicate their tried and tested clinic model. In 2006, they created the National Spay/Neuter Response Team (NSNRT), a mentoring and training program that helps other organizations learn how to open and operate self-sustaining clinics in their communities. To date, over 115 low cost, high quality, high volume spay/neuter clinics have opened under their mentor program strategically located across the nation, sterilizing more than 700,000 companion animals annually and are members of the NSNRT. The NSNRT program receives funding from Pet Smart Charities® and the ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®), to increase affordable spay/neuter services across the United States. NSNRT clinics across the country have witnessed a decrease in the amount of pets flooding animal shelters as a result of proactive spay and neuter programs. In North Carolina, the Humane Alliance has reduced the number of pets killed in area shelters by 79%. No Kill Columbia looks forward to joining neighboring NSNRT clinics in St. Louis, Kansas City, and Springfield. 
Bringing the NSNRT program to Mid-Missouri will: *Decrease the number of unwanted litters *Reduce area animal shelter intake lowering the number of pets killed each year. *Significantly reduce the unwanted animal population. Research states that for each spay/neuter performed, one less animal will enter the shelter. This suggest that a dramatic increase in spay/neuters will cause a significant reduction in euthanasia
The clinic will serve Boone County as well as neighboring counties that lack the availability of low cost services offering transportation to and from the clinic. In addition to the low cost spay/neuter services, the clinic will promote and educate the importance and health benefits of spaying or neutering your pet, and will partner with veterinarians to provide follow-up exams after to surgery to build lasting relationships for future annual health exams. . Due to the proven effectiveness of low cost spay and neuter clinics in other cities across the country, we are certain it will work in our area, but we need your help! We will solicit donations/pledges to fund a start up level, approximately $100,000, a pre-requisite for the mentorship with Humane Alliance to move forward. This figure represents an estimated cost for the clinic site and renovations, as well as a $35,000 cash balance. Grant funding offered by the ASPCA and Pet Smart Charities will assist with the purchase of medical equipment, supplies, and training. 
Please join us in support of the most successful and progressive approach in reducing the number of homeless animals in Mid Missouri, with a low-cost, high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter clinic, The Spay Neuter Project. |
No Kill Columbia is a
501(c)3 nonprofit organization. All tax deductible donations benefit the Spay Neuter Project. Check out The Spay Neuter Project Facebook Page!
Every year in the United States, 3 - 4 million homeless dogs and cats are needlessly put to death - that is one about every 8 seconds.
The Petco Foundation 50% of all pets born are accidents. Best Friends Animal Society More than 1 in 3 recently acquired dog/cat owners have not spayed or neutered their pet. Pet Smart Charities 92% of clients indicate that cost is a major factor in the decision to neuter their pets. Humane Alliance |
Thank you Vox Magazine for the thorough article on The Spay Neuter Project!
http://www.voxmagazine.com/stories/2013/09/26/no-kill-columbia-hopes-lower-numbers-animal-shelte/
http://www.voxmagazine.com/stories/2013/09/26/no-kill-columbia-hopes-lower-numbers-animal-shelte/