SNAP stands for Spay Neuter Assistance Program, which is exactly what we do. We try to assist anyone who needs financial assistance to spay or neuter a pet.
Each year our community shelters euthanize thousands of animals. This does not include feral cats or strays killed by cars, starvation, disease, wild animals, and farmers protecting livestock.
We all know of the tremendous and heartbreaking waste that takes place daily in animal shelters, not only in our area, but nationwide. SNAP's founders wanted to see the number of homeless dogs and cats in our area decline, so we decided to make a difference.
Other groups have stepped up spay/neuter efforts in recent years. The Castaway Animal Rescue Effort (CARE) alters every animal before adoption, including puppies and kittens. Thankfully, many local veterinarians have supported the efforts of charitable groups by performing thousands of surgeries at reduced rates.
We find those pet owners who need our services through outreach efforts. We also work with pet owners who have acquired large numbers of pets from strays or dumped animals that continually reproduced.
We work with young families just starting out and with senior citizens. Pet owners who have used our program talk with their neighbors to encourage, and in many cases, pay for other pets who need to be fixed.
We work with home health care professionals who assist their clients in arranging surgeries and transporting pets to veterinary clinics. Finally, we have the veterinarians themselves, who recommend our program when their clients need help.
As public awareness of our program increases, we are establishing a solid base of donor support. The challenge is to insure that donations keep pace with the demand. The beneficiaries of our program frequently tell us, "thank you so much for helping me...without your program, I would not be able to have my animal fixed, and I really want to be a responsible pet owner."
Cindy Bird, President
Anne Heim, Vice President and Operations Chair
Donna DeHaven, Treasurer
Janet Martin, Secretary
Cindy Bird, Volunteer Coordinator
Tamara Teal, Social Media Coordinator
Bonnie Klockenbrink