Campaign Discontinued

The Adair County Humane Society decided to discontinue its March "Prevent a Litter" spay/neuter campaign as of July 1, 2013. 

If you need help spay/neutering a pet, you may want to contact Kirksville - Protect Our Pets (KV-POP), a new animal welfare organization in the area dedicated to community outreach for the benefit of the area's dogs and cats.

Thanks to local veterinarians and other supporters!

We couldn't do any of this spay/neuter work without you! Thanks so much for your generosity and commitment to the animals in our area.

Paws to Consider: The Value of Our Spay/Neuter Campaign

Some people like numbers, others prefer pictures, but I like names.

We are celebrating the results of our March “Prevent a Litter” campaign this week. The numbers are what the media will (hopefully) promote: 197 pets (109 dogs and 88 cats) were fixed in March 2013 as part of our campaign (discounted rates + coupons from ACHS). A picture of a reluctant mama dog with her fourteen puppies might be a better reminder of how quickly they can multiply. But for me the names make it real: in 2013 we helped calm down Bruiser, Roger, Fuzzy, and Garfield. And Snickers, Little, Sissy, and Gaga won’t be having any more unwanted litters of kittens or puppies. That’s fantastic news, because there would not have been enough homes for all of them.

It’s hard to believe that in 2014 we’ll hold our FIFTH annual “Prevent a Litter” campaign. We are already at the point when people anticipate the event in the springtime: our shelter manager says that folks start calling in January. That’s because we are offering help that they desperately need. It probably only takes personal experience with one “oops litter” to teach people that it’s true what they say: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” It is certainly cheaper to spay/neuter a pet than it is to care for a pregnant mama for nine weeks (they are eating for six … or fifteen in the case of Gracie!) and a nursing mama and her young ones for eight more weeks. It is certainly cost effective to spay/neuter.

But who should pay the bill? Are you willing to make a special donation to your local Humane Society so that we can continue to prevent the birth of unwanted cats and dogs?

We hope so, because the ASPCA – the national animal welfare organization which provided partial support for our campaign for the first three years – has decided that it is time for us to make it on our own. Like baby birds, it’s time for us to fly and start supporting ourselves. And certainly the time is right, now that we have a track record of four very successful campaigns and the endorsement of all three veterinary clinics in Kirksville (not to mention clinics in La Plata, Lancaster, Unionville, and Edina). The time is right for individuals within this community who care deeply about animals to help sustain this very worthy project.

And if you or someone you know is one of the people who benefited from a $50 spay/neuter certificate or the reduced rates, could you do us a favor? Tell your friends and co-workers how much you appreciated this help, and consider paying it forward: even a small donation ($5 or $10) can make it so that someone else can benefit like you did during our next PAL campaign.

You may donate by writing a check to the Adair County Humane Society (write PAL 2014 in the memo line) and either drop it off at our shelter (Hwy. 6 east of Kirksville) or mail it to P.O. Box 481 in Kirksville. Or go online (http://www.adairhumane.org/donatevolunteer.html) and donate via credit card or PayPal. Either way, your money will go a long way toward reducing animal suffering in your community.

Gracie, Garfield, Gaga, and the 697 other animals who have been helped by this campaign thus far thank you.

The Results Are In!

ACHS Celebrates Results, Worries about Future of Spay/Neuter Campaign

Kirksville, MO -- May 20, 2013 -- The Adair County Humane Society is pleased to announce the results of its fourth annual March “Be a PAL – Prevent a Litter” spay/neuter campaign: 197 owned pets were fixed, 109 dogs and 88 cats.

Approximately 700 dogs and cats have been fixed within the first four years of the March “Prevent a Litter” (PAL) campaign. The campaign is having a significant impact on the number of homeless animals in our area, as these 700 pets were kept from multiplying into 3500 unwanted cats and dogs.

People paid for the surgeries by either taking advantage of discounts at local veterinary clinics, using $50 coupons from the ACHS, or combining the two. In general more female animals were fixed than males, no doubt because it’s the female animals who will (without human intervention) have many unwanted litters. But it’s relatively inexpensive to fix a male, and savvy individuals increasingly recognize the health, behavioral, and community benefits of neutering their male pets.

All three Kirksville veterinary clinics participated in the campaign, as did clinics in La Plata, Lancaster, Unionville, and Edina. These veterinary clinics were not compensated by the ACHS for their discounts. The top clinic in the area was the Adair County Veterinary Clinic, which performed 94 spay/neuter surgeries during the month of March, all at special discounted rates.

In mid-February the Adair County Humane Society distributed one hundred and forty $50 spay/neuter certificates to people in financial need. Nearly 70% of these were redeemed. The bill for this year’s campaign was $4725, which was paid for by donations from people who recognize that prevention is the best strategy for dealing with the problem of pet overpopulation. Much of this money was raised by a matching funds challenge in early February.

The ACHS was fortunate enough to receive special spay/neuter grants from the ASPCA in 2010, 2011, and 2012 to partially fund the PAL campaign. But there was no grant money available to support the 2013 campaign. Since the campaign is now well-established, board members hope that individuals within the community will provide monetary donations to continue this important work. There will not be a 2014 March “Prevent a Litter” campaign unless the ACHS has a very successful fund-raising year.

More information is available at the ACHS website: adairhumane.org.

Big THANKS to local media!

Our March PAL campaign has enjoyed such great coverage over the last eight weeks! Thanks to KTVO, Kirksville Daily Express, KIRX, and Truman Index for their part in educating the public about spay/neuter.

KTVO RE: fund-raising, February 8, 2013

KTVO RE: spay/neuter certificates, February 23, 2013

KTVO RE: March discounted rates, March 5, 2013 (no link available)

Kirksville Daily Express, March 9, 2013

Truman Index, March 21, 2013

KIRX, March 21, 2013
KIRX, May 21, 2013

Have you seen our new blog in the Kirksville Daily Express? It's called "Paws to Consider: How We Can Be Better Friends to Our Best Friends." Check out the entry entitled "Spay it Forward."

Discounted Rates for March 2013

These special rates are available during the month of March only!  Make your appointment now!  Please confirm the discounted rate with the veterinary clinic when you schedule your appointment.

Dr. James Brummit
Putnam County Animal Hospital
16840 State Hwy 5, Unionville
(660) 947-2015

Dog Spay: $70
Dog Neuter: $65
Cat Spay: $60
Cat Neuter: $30
________________________________________________________

Dr. James Foster and Dr. Seth Hartter

Animal Health Center
Hwy 63 N, Lancaster
(660) 457-3086
 
Dog Spay: extra small (under 20#) $50;  small (20-30#) $55;  medium (30-40#) $60;  large (over 40#) $65
Dog Neuter: extra small (under 20#) $25;  small (20-30#) $30;  medium (30-40#) $35;  large (over 40#) $40

Cat Spay  $45
Cat Neuter  $25 

 ________________________________________________________

Dr. Jenny Lindquist, Dr. Catherine Webb, and Dr. Christine Marlowe
Lindquist Veterinary Care Center
1203 N. Baltimore, Kirksville
(660) 665-2719

and Lindquist Veterinary Care Center
Hwy 6 W, Edina
(660) 397-2570

**Lindquist Veterinary Care Center is beginning their program a week early (on February 25th) to accommodate as many procedures as possible.**

Dog Spay: small and medium (under 50#) $80 /  large (over 50#) $90
Dog Neuter: $70
Cat Spay: $65
Cat Neuter: $40

Prices include a post-operative antibiotic injection and post-operative pain management injection.
________________________________________________________

Dr. Lisa Doak and Dr. Emily Basler
Kirksville Small Animal Hospital
1220 N. Green St., Kirksville
(660) 665-1971

Dog Spay: under 50# - $80 /  51-99# - $90 / over 100# - $100
Dog Neuter: $70
Cat Spay: $65
Cat Neuter: $50
 ________________________________________________________

Dr. David Moore and Dr. Carla Miller
Adair County Veterinary Clinic
24463 Benton Rd., Kirksville
(660) 665-6696

Dr. John Moore
La Plata Veterinary Clinic
30743 US Hwy. 63, La Plata
(660) 332-4452

Dog Spay, up to 50 lbs*: $75
Dog Spay, over 50 lbs*: $85
Dog Neuter, all weights: $70
Cat Spay*: $60
Cat Neuter: $35

Prices include all post-operative medications and care.
*These prices only apply to dogs/cats not in heat or pregnant.
________________________________________________________

Make your appointments for March spay/neuter SOON!

140 Spay/Neuter Certificates Issued in February!

Board members (Gander, Jeffries, Hudnall, and Thomas) handed out 140 spay/neuter certificates last week in two scheduled sessions. In general people seemed very grateful for this assistance.

As one woman told us: "I need to spay my cat. She's just a barn cat but we don't need any more [barn cats]!"

Another woman (a young mother) said that the family thought they had two girl kittens ...  but then one turned out to be a boy. They thought they would solve that potential problem (unwanted litters of kittens) by spaying the girl. That was fine until the boy kitten started spraying in the house. Now he needs to get fixed too. Her young son volunteered: "We don't want any more babies!" The whole family appreciated the $50 certificate as well as the discounted rates offered by local vets.

Another person told us that she took in a stray dog recently only to find out that she was pregnant. Two weeks later this dog (a Husky/Malmute mix) had a litter of 14 puppies! She and her son enjoy the puppies but caring for them has been a lot of work and it's expensive. (They eat a lot!) Now she is struggling to find home for so many puppies. She plans to ask everyone who takes a pup to promise to fix them as soon as they are eligible. And mama dog will get fixed this month.


Thanks again to everyone who made these certificates possible, especially those who participated in the $1000 matching donation challenge.

Don't Let Your Dogs Reproduce!

We love this explanation of why spay/neuter is so important. Thanks, ASPCA and Tony La Russa!

$50 Spay/Neuter Certificate Distribution

Our special spay/neuter certificates (worth up to $50) will be available for those in financial need, (that is, people who could not otherwise afford to have their animals fixed)

• on a first-come, first-served basis (supplies are limited to 140)
• limit two per household except in extraordinary circumstances
• must be redeemed by April 13, 2013
  

Note: Funds for these certificates come from special donations from individuals who care deeply about the welfare of animals in this county and from a special grant; they do not come from the Shelter's regular, modest operating budget. We reserve the right to refuse to give certificates to individuals at our discretion.

Our distribution point this year will be the Adair County Health Department Building: 1001 S. Jamison St. in Kirksville. (Please use the northeast ramp entrance.) These are the dates/times for distribution:      

Saturday, February 23 from noon - 3:00 PM
Thursday, February 28 from 4:00 - 7:00 PM

We are using this new location (instead of the animal shelter) to accommodate people who work weekdays or who do not have transportation to the shelter. Please be respectful of the staff and clients at the health clinic. We are grateful to Jim LeBaron for letting us use this space.

Show Your Love! Donate Today!

 UPDATE: (2/15/2013)

We did it! Or rather YOU did it! You donated $1085 within these last ten days to secure the $1000 matching challenge grant! That means that we can help spay/neuter forty extra animals this spring!

More spay/neuter = fewer homeless animals!

Thank you so much!

*****

Support the Adair County Humane Society’s fourth annual “Be a PAL – Prevent a Litter” spay/neuter campaign!

A local donor has promised to match all donations received between now and Valentine’s Day dollar-for-dollar up to $1000.

Donate now using your PayPal or credit card with the click of this button.

Or write a check to Adair County Humane Society with March PAL in the memo line. Mail your check to P.O. Box 481, Kirksville MO 63501, or save yourself 46 cents by bringing the check to the shelter. Donations to the Adair County Humane Society are tax-deductible;we are a 501c(3) non-profit organization.

Our first three campaigns were very successful: more than 500 dogs and cats were fixed in March 2010, 2011, and 2012 as part of our campaign. We kept these 500 animals from becoming 2500!

Because of this community effort we have seen a significant drop in the number of homeless animals arriving at our shelter. Our save rate (number returned to owner, adopted, or transported to collaborating rescue groups) has risen accordingly.

Remember to donate within the next ten days to help us secure the challenge grant! Show your love for animals with a donation by February 14!