Animal Alliance-South Cumberland, the mountain spay/neuter program, has received grant money from the Community Fund of the South Cumberland Plateau to help provide sterilization surgeries for puppies and kittens as young as two months of age.
AASC President Kathy Bouldin pointed out that many pet owners mistakenly believe old wives tales that pets can’t get pregnant or father a litter until they are older. “The fact is that before a pet is six months old, he or she can become sexually active,” said Bouldin. “And then you have an ‘oops’ litter that nobody planned and nobody wants. That’s a burden on everybody, including the mother dog. With the help of this grant money, and a $10 co-pay from the pet owner, we can start to solve this problem.
“All of the volunteers at AASC are very thankful that the Community Fund has allocated this money to help us address pet overpopulation before it becomes a problem for an individual family and then the rest of the community.”
She stated that mountain residents shouldn’t wait too late to find out if their Christmas present kitten or puppy is old enough to have babies. Grant money from the Community Fund will help many low-income families afford the simple surgeries that will prevent unwanted litters.
“Cats can become sexually active as young as four months,” said Bouldin. “Dogs get roaming feet and a roaming eye as early as five months. No animal ‘needs’ to go into heat or have a first litter in order to be healthy. A guard dog won’t be less of a guard dog if he’s been neutered. That’s simply not true. Help AASC prevent the misery that stray and abandoned animals suffer. Help us save you the expense of caring for a litter of puppies or kittens that you can’t afford.
AASC also has money available to help fix large breed dogs, 40 pound or over. If you have a large male or female dog, call for details and to set up an appointment. Large breed dogs are more likely to roam, get into fights, get shot, or hit by cars. They have larger litters, and it is more difficult to find homes for large breed puppies.”
For more information about these programs or to make an appointment to have your pet spayed or neutered, call 931-235-9006. For additional information about preventing unwanted litters, visit AASC at http://animalalliancesouthcumberland.com/ or email them at AnimalAllianceSC@gmail.com.
Download AP Mobile for National and Local News
© 2011 Lakeway Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without written permission.