EatonvilleNews

Low Cost Spay Neuter Clinic Now a Reality in Tacoma

(photo by Bob Walter)

Back past the reception area, management office and cat recovery room, the veterinary staff are busy at work. Here, Dr. Keiko Young preps three cats for their surgery. Pets must be at least eight weeks old and weigh at least two pounds in order to be eligible for surgery. Call 253.627.SPAY to make an appointment.

Fighting Pet Overpopulation...

by Bob Walter
April 20, 2008

Pierce County's dog and cat populations each took a big step closer to being stabilized last month, when Coalition HUMAnE (Humans United to Minimize Animal Euthanasia) opened its new, low-cost, spay/neuter clinic on March 3. The seven-year-old non-profit organization, Peninsula Spay/Neuter Project, spearheaded the creation of the clinic, with support from the Humane Society for Tacoma and Pierce County, Puyallup Animal Rescue and other animal welfare groups. The no-frills clinic they've created is modeled after the Humane Alliance clinic in Asheville, North Carolina. Already, nearly 600 animals have been spayed or neutered in the six weeks since the clinic opened.

The clinic is located in downtown Tacoma at 2106 Tacoma Avenue South, and serves low-income pet owners. It is a major milestone in the long-held dream of many caring people, for Pierce County to be what is now referred to as a no-kill community.

A year-long fundraising effort culminated in the March 3rd opening. Holly Bukes, board president, and Patty Rusnak, board vice-president, who directed the effort of converting the leased, one-room building into a well-equipped clinic and hired the staff, were busy managing details on the day my friend Tom Sayre and I made an impromptu visit. Through their passionate determination, the clinic has become a reality.

We arrived around 1 p.m., while the veterinary staff was busy with surgeries, performing 25 to 30 or more spays and neuters each day. Clients and patients must be handled efficiently for the program to run smoothly. Each day goes something like this: Clients whose pets were altered the previous day come in to pick up their pets in a 7:30 AM "group discharge," where follow-up care instructions are dispensed. The next wave of intakes then begins at 8 a.m., with the first animal intubated by 8:45. Before surgery, each animal is examined, then cleaned, shaved around the incision area, and anesthetized.

The idea is to get the animals sterilized before they reproduce, thereby reducing the killing of hundreds of unwanted dogs, cats, puppies and kittens each year at local animal shelters. The clinic's work will also provide better chances at adoption for those animals surrendered to local animal shelters in the thousands, by reducing those numbers.

Fees vary, and financial assistance is available for those pet owners on limited incomes. For more information, stop in to the clinic, call 253.627.SPAY or go to www.coalitionhumane.org.

Recovery Room Visit...

Tom Sayre chats with Patty Rusnak, vice-president of Coalition HUMAnE, in the dog recovery room at the new spay and neuter clinic in Tacoma. Sayre sits on the board of Pierce County Parks & Recreation Citizens Advisory Board.


	*"Seek Truth Without Fear"*
	*Low Cost Spay Neuter Clinic Now a Reality in Tacoma* (photo by Bob Walter) Back past the reception area, management office and cat recovery room, the veterinary staff are busy at work. Here, Dr. Keiko Young preps three cats for their surgery. Pets must be at least eight weeks old and weigh at least two pounds in order to be eligible for surgery. Call 253.627.SPAY to make an appointment. Fighting Pet Overpopulation... by Bob Walter April 20, 2008 Pierce County's dog and cat populations each took a big step closer to being stabilized last month, when Coalition HUMAnE (Humans United to Minimize Animal Euthanasia) opened its new, low-cost, spay/neuter clinic on March 3. The seven-year-old non-profit organization, Peninsula Spay/Neuter Project, spearheaded the creation of the clinic, with support from the Humane Society for Tacoma and Pierce County, Puyallup Animal Rescue and other animal welfare groups. The no-frills clinic they've created is modeled after the Humane Alliance clinic in Asheville, North Carolina. Already, nearly 600 animals have been spayed or neutered in the six weeks since the clinic opened. The clinic is located in downtown Tacoma at 2106 Tacoma Avenue South, and serves low-income pet owners. It is a major milestone in the long-held dream of many caring people, for Pierce County to be what is now referred to as a no-kill community. A year-long fundraising effort culminated in the March 3rd opening. Holly Bukes, board president, and Patty Rusnak, board vice-president, who directed the effort of converting the leased, one-room building into a well-equipped clinic and hired the staff, were busy managing details on the day my friend Tom Sayre and I made an impromptu visit. Through their passionate determination, the clinic has become a reality. We arrived around 1 p.m., while the veterinary staff was busy with surgeries, performing 25 to 30 or more spays and neuters each day. Clients and patients must be handled efficiently for the program to run smoothly. Each day goes something like this: Clients whose pets were altered the previous day come in to pick up their pets in a 7:30 AM "group discharge," where follow-up care instructions are dispensed. The next wave of intakes then begins at 8 a.m., with the first animal intubated by 8:45. Before surgery, each animal is examined, then cleaned, shaved around the incision area, and anesthetized. The idea is to get the animals sterilized before they reproduce, thereby reducing the killing of hundreds of unwanted dogs, cats, puppies and kittens each year at local animal shelters. The clinic's work will also provide better chances at adoption for those animals surrendered to local animal shelters in the thousands, by reducing those numbers. Fees vary, and financial assistance is available for those pet owners on limited incomes. For more information, stop in to the clinic, call 253.627.SPAY or go to www.coalitionhumane.org. *Recovery Room Visit...* Tom Sayre chats with Patty Rusnak, vice-president of Coalition HUMAnE, in the dog recovery room at the new spay and neuter clinic in Tacoma. Sayre sits on the board of Pierce County Parks & Recreation Citizens Advisory Board. Back to Top Back to Front Page





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