The cost to spay and neuter your pets is getting a lot cheaper for some Guelph and Wellington County residents.
The Guelph Humane Society is launching their no-cost spay and neuter program for the area's most vulnerable pets, after getting a $125,000 funding boost from PetSmart Charities of Canada.
It's a collaborative effort with the Ontario Veterinary College's Kim and Stu Lang Community Healthcare Partnership Program.
"There is currently no other low or no-cost vet services in Guelph-Wellington County that are available," said Lisa Veit, the newly-minted executive director of the Guelph Humane Society.
"We had an overwhelming response to that pilot program when we launched it (in 2019 in Guelph)."
The response prompted them to expand the program out of the city, and into the county.
"We held some preventative health care and spay and neuter clinics in Wellington County over the course of the last couple of months," Veit said. "It was really fantastic to be able to expand the program, to not just benefit community members in the City of Guelph, but throughout Wellington County."
She said community members were very appreciative of the option, one Veit said may have been out of reach for them otherwise.
The goal with this program is to spay or neuter 300 pets over the next eight months, which would double the 150 they did during the pilot.
So far, nine pop-up clinics have happened and 127 surgical procedures were performed for pets.
But the overall goal, Veit said, is to "increase fair and equitable access to veterinary care for disadvantaged populations and underserved areas."
In order to take part, residents must be living in Guelph or Wellington County, are facing economic hardship and getting social support, or dealing with housing insecurity, or living in an emergency shelter or qualify for a subsidy program.
The clinics in Wellington County are complete, and there is a wait list for those in Guelph to get access to these services.
If you would like to participate, you're encouraged to reach out to the Guelph Humane Society.
