Fw: CARE offers FREE Spay/Neuter Surgeries

[Chatham Chatlist]

----- Forwarded Message -----

From: Joan Cunningham <rick...@earthlink.net>
Sent: Thursday, September 26, 2013 10:33 PM
Subject: CARE offers FREE Spay/Neuter Surgeries

For Immediate Release                                                                                                           Joan Cunningham

September 23, 2013                                                                                        jo...@chathamanimalrescue.org

 

CARE Offers FREE Spay/Neuter Surgeries!

 

In North Carolina 200,000 pets are euthanized every year, over 1,000 in Chatham County alone.  North Carolina shelters NEED OUR HELP.  They can’t save and support the huge number of accidental litters, strays, and family pets brought to shelter doors every day.

The  primary strategic goal of Chatham Animal Rescue & Education (CARE) is to reduce intake and euthanasia at the Chatham County Animal Shelter through its spay/neuter program, Lillie’s Fund.   CARE provides spay/neuter surgery for an average of 5-600 dogs and cats in Chatham County every year. 

But we need to do more . . . and now we can!   Thanks to a generous donation from a loyal CARE supporter, CARE is offering FREE spay/neuter surgeries for qualifying Chatham County residents through November 30, 2013.  To see if your family qualifies, go to the CARE website at www.chathamanimalrescue.org and click on any spay/neuter link. 

Despite these sad statistics, the Chatham County Animal Shelter's outcomes continue to improve. The Chatham County Public Health Department reported in July of 2013 that the number of animals taken in by the shelter decreased this past fiscal year as compared to the previous period and positive outcomes (adoptions, transfers to rescue groups, and returns to owner) have increased. In fact, the number of animals taken in by the shelter has gone down each of the past four years.  For the second consecutive year, the number of healthy animals euthanized has decreased as well. 

Holly Coleman, recently retired Director of the Chatham County Public Health Department, attributed these improvements in intake and euthanasia rates to the success of spay/neuter programs in the county. "These successes would not be possible without financial support from the county commissioners as well as partnership from community organizations like Chatham Animal Rescue and Education," added Coleman 

This successful collaboration won CARE the 2013 Community Health Partnership Award “for its outstanding work in pet adoptions and spay/neuter programs.” 

Lillie’s Fund is CARE’s targeted spay/neuter program for lower income residents in Chatham County and subsidizes spay/neuter surgery for 250-350 dogs and cats a year.  In addition CARE partners with the non-profit organization Dogs Off Chains and provides spay/neuter surgery for all the dogs it builds fences for—over 65 in 2013 to date.  Together with CARE’s foster, community cat/dog and feral cat programs, CARE pays for spay/neuter surgery for an average of 5-600 dogs and cats a year.

The mission of Chatham Animal Rescue & Education (CARE) is to promote responsible pet ownership. CARE foster caregivers provide loving, stable homes to homeless cats and dogs, helping them become the best possible pets for their future forever families.  CARE works with the Chatham County Animal Shelter to save the lives of unwanted cats and dogs, manages feral cat colonies, and serves as an educational resource.  CARE is a nonprofit animal welfare organization that has served the community since 1975 and relies on individual and corporate donors for support.