The main agenda of some community-outreach organizations is prevention. Enter the Spayed Club, a Frazer-based nonprofit that offers low-cost spaying and neutering services in an effort to locally prevent pet overpopulation.
According to the Humane Society of the United States, 3-4 million homeless dogs and cats are put down each year, including more than 35,000 in the seven animal shelters throughout Philadelphia and its suburbs. The Spayed Club says this wouldn’t be necessary if more people had access to affordable spay/neuter services. That’s why the organization began a certificate program 20 years ago, granting inexpensive procedures to people who submit requests.
And in June 2009, the club opened its own clinic in Sharon Hill. Since opening, the staff veterinarian, Dr. Sarah Alexander—named the “Best Spay/Neuter Vet in the Nation” by the Humane Alliance—has performed more than 3,000 spay/neuter procedures in the state-of-the-art facility. Because of its status as a registered nonprofit fueled by donations and fundraising, the clinic offers procedures at significantly lower costs than other locations—for example, while some vets charge $600 to spay or neuter a large dog, the Spayed Club only charges $135.
“It’s rewarding to provide citizens with a service that they want but cannot afford. These are individuals who are good pet owners,” says the clinic’s manager, Tabatha Gordon. “We’re working for a long-term impact here. The overpopulation problem can be eliminated by spay/neuter.”
Gordon also says that each unwanted animal picked up by the shelter system costs taxpayers $176, adding up to $7 million in unnecessary taxes each year.
In addition to spay/neuter services, the Spayed Club offers free pet-wellness clinics on the third Saturday of every month.
To learn more, visit thespayedclub.org.