Michiana Humane Society & SPCA: Orvis Dog Enrichment Grant Report
How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?
The $1,000 grant was used for our Spay-Neuter Initiative, whereby 100% of dogs and cats adopted from the shelter are spayed or neutered before leaving. This program encourages people to adopt because they will not have the added expense of the surgery.
Our shelter is located in a community with many working-class people who watch their pennies. They may be able to provide basic care for a pet, but often the additional $50-$200 cost of a spay or neuter surgery means they cannot choose the pet they want. But our area also has a large overpopulation of unwanted animals. By guaranteeing that the surgery will be taken care of at no additional cost to the adopters, we make our dogs a better value!
How many pets did this grant help?
During the two months since we received the Orvis Operational Grant, we adopted out 44 dogs, 75% of whom needed spay or neuter surgery before leaving. The average cost of a dog surgery is running about $75, so the $1,000 grant helped get 13 dogs into new homes!
Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.
One specific example in a funny way is Ringo, the red Pit Bull. Ringo was surrendered to the shelter by a serial dog owner who once again found herself unable to afford her pets. At three years old, and as a Pit Bull, Ringo faced an extended stay waiting for people to adopt her. But her red coat made her unusual, and she loves people, so we sent her off to a local vet to be spayed. She came back to the shelter the next day, and a few days later we got a visit from the veterinarian and her son! It turns out Dr. Puerling really liked Ringo and had decided that she would like to adopt her! Her son agreed, and then they brought their dog for a meet-and-greet. All went well and Ringo, now Red, went to a wonderful forever home!
If not for bringing her in to be spayed, Dr. Puerling would never have met Ringo and the match would not have happened!
