Puppers! Spay it Forwards for the Dogs

This blog is dedicated to the dogs of September.  We had some beautiful faces in here that we were able to get fixed before sending them off to find new homes.

Regina, the SPOT Clinic Vet Tech Assistant, has become very good at finding the friendliest strays in our neighborhood and bringing them home.  Thanks to a little help from some friends, we are able to get these ladies vetted and out on the adoption scene.

Alice and Esme were found wandering the streets near the SPOT Clinic.  They are EXTREMELY friendly, but homeless.  We tried to find their owners, but no one claimed them.  So, with the help of Vivienne and Mike Cullinan and Leon Laxton, who have graciously provided Spay it Forwards, we were able to get them fixed on September 13.  Regina paid to have them vaccinated and Linda Crockett, one of our loyal customers and local a rescue gal, took them in to find them new homes.  (If you know anyone looking to adopt, they are still available!)

Alice (above) and Esme (below)

Can you believe these ladies were strays?!?  Thanks to everyone involved in making their new lives possible!  Regina, Vivienne and Mike Cullinan, Leon Laxton, and Linda Crockett, you are all wonderful people!





Our next story is a sad one, but we're so happy we were able to help.  Our friend Kim from High Plains Service Dogs was made aware of a situation where a momma dog was let to have litter after litter, meanwhile the human family was doing little to take care of her or any of her puppies.  Kim attempted to intervene and have the momma fixed.  Unfortunately, she was hit and killed by a car before Kim was able to get her in to us.  The good news (yes, there is good news) is that Kim was able to get the family to give up the puppies to her in hopes that they will become a pet-free household.

Kim then called us and asked us if we could help her.  She runs an organization that trains service dogs, she's not set up for puppies!  After hearing the story, we couldn't say no.  We gladly got all four of the puppies fixed and Kim took care of the vaccinations and deworming on September 20.  These four charming little faces are also available for adoption and we can put you in touch with Kim if you are interested in one (or two!).

Baxter, Miley, and Hanna

Gracie

 

Thank you so so much to Irene Hernandez for making the rescue of these puppies possible by providing the Spay it Forwards.  Thank you to Kim of High Plains Service Dogs for having the heart to get these dogs out of a bad situation and available for great homes.

 

And good luck to all six of the little faces we got to see this month that came in and were able to utilize a Spay it Forward.  You are all so lucky to have been found and taken in.

We Love Fixin' Kitties!

It's true, we love spaying and neutering those kitties.  There are so many out there and they reproduce so quickly.  And if you read our newsletter, you know we encourage everyone to have the kittens fixed if they end up with an oops litter BEFORE they adopt them out.  The responsibility has to start somewhere and we simply cannot trust that someone else will do it.

Well, that's just what happened with Mama and her four babies.  Her owner called us and told us about how she ended up with an oops litter and she needed to get her fixed so it didn't happen again.  We offered to use a Spay it Forward on Mama IF the owner would bring in the babies and get them done at the same time.  So, on August 29, 2012, we fixed Mama and her litter of four.

Thank you, Sonja Sherwood, for providing a Spay it Forward that helped get FIVE animals fixed!  We can absolutely call this one a success!

On September 11, 2012, we were able to neuter Max with a Spay it Forward for his family.  Unlike many people out there, his owners understand that cats are just as important as dogs and need the same kind of care.  They are loving pets, too.  When they called and asked for assistance, we were more than happy to get Max in here and get him neutered AND up to date on his vaccinations.  We would love to share his handsome face with you, but that squirmy bugger just wouldn't let that happen!  But please know that we were so happy to get him in here and get him all "fixed" up.

Rosalind Cook is the special person that made Max's neuter possible.  She donated this Spay it Forward in honor of Lea Rawlings.

Mylo's story has a sad beginning but a happy ending, with a twist!  His owner called us initially to just get some advice.  You see, this little orange tabby had been dumped on her and she didn't know what to do.  She really didn't want to just take this baby to the shelter, but she was unsure of what it would take to give him a good home.

Our vet tech, Tracy, talked to her about this kitty.  Mylo had just shown up one day and she didn't know how to take care of him.  Tracy offered the owner some information on being a good cat owner, then offered a Spay it Forward to get Mylo neutered.  She was very grateful and accepted the next available appointment, on September 22, 2012.

The twist is that when the owner came to pick up her kitty, Mylo was really Myla!  And the happy ending is that this baby is SPAYED and vaccinated and is now ready to be a happy pet.

Geni Singhisen is responsible for the Spay it Forward that kept little Myla out of the shelter and in a loving home!  Thank you to our donors for caring so much for these animals that you never even get to meet!

Spay it Forwards and SPOT Updates

We haven't blogged in a while!  We've been busy busy busy in the clinic.  We spayed and neutered 50 animals yesterday and have 42 more in today.  Our average per day for June and July is 39 animals!

We've also done some Spay it Forwards this month and haven't had a chance to blog about them until now.  We've met and fixed so many neat animals here at SPOT!  Check in on our FaceBook for pictures.

At the beginning of the month, Sasha, a beautiful rottweiller girl came in to be spayed.  Her owner was so sweet and loving.  She cared so much about Sasha and didn't want her to get pregnant, but times are tight.  She asked if we had any additional discounts.  Of course, we didn't want Sasha getting pregnant, either!  And going into heat over and over again is so tough on those doggie bodies.  We told Sasha's mama that if she was willing to cover the cost of her vaccinations, we would cover the cost of her surgery with a Spay it Forward.  She was more than happy to accept!  (Unfortunately, we were unable to get a good picture of her when she was here.  But imagine a beautiful, shorty rotty with sweet eyes.  That's her!)

On behalf of Sasha, thank you to Lisa Cawthon for making this spay possible!

Then, on the fifteenth of August, we had two more Spay it Forwards!  We had a little girl named Bailey and a big boy named Dark Black.

Bailey is just a baby, four months old, and was rescued from the streets.  Her rescuer has a heart of gold and a fixed income.  She saw the sparkle in Bailey's eye and new she needed a home.  She also knew that Bailey needed to be fixed before her first heat.  She called us and talked to us about our services and we made her a deal like Sasha's.  If she would bring Bailey in and cover the cost of her vaccinations, we would help her get the surgery.

Bailey did great during her spay and has a great new mom to look after her.  We're so glad we could help her get this done.  We would like to thank Irene Hernandez for her support of spay/neuter and her donation of a Spay it Forward to make Bailey's surgery possible.

Dark Black, our other neuter for the fifteenth, wasn't even scheduled!  But his story is kind of neat.  He and his three "sisters" live in a home with a single mom and her teenaged son.  They were having a heck of a time keeping these dogs from breeding and an even tougher time keeping them in the yard.  They knew they couldn't let any more puppies be born, so they called to schedule the three girls.

When the mom came in for the appointment, she let us know that she only had two of the three dogs because they were tough to get in the car.  She said it should be okay, though, because she lived just down the street and could run home and grab the third after she unloaded the first two.  We got her paperwork completed and unloaded the first two dogs.  While doing this, she explained how her backyard was rigged to keep the dogs in.  She described a chain link fence with another one ON TOP because they would jump and climb out!  We talked to her about them wanting so badly to find mates when they are in heat and how that drive goes away after they are spayed, helping them settle in to more loving pets (with less of a drive to get out and roam).

She seemed very excited about this prospect.  She explained that it was very frustrating that they got out all the time.  She then went on to say that at least they were easier to catch than the boy.  The boy?!?  What boy?  Why isn't he scheduled?  She explained that she barely had the money to get the three girls done and that she would have to come back in later to get him neutered.  While we appreciate that she had good intentions, we want to see that boy fixed now.  He may not be able to get these three girls pregnant any more, but there are others out there and we know he gets out and roams the streets.  So, we offered to neuter him.  Since she was going home to get the other girl anyway, we reasoned that it should not be that big of a deal to bring him back with her.  Without a second thought, she agreed.  Success!

Check out this neighborhood romantic!  We assured her that she had made the right decision.  We talked to her about how much healthier he will be and the reduced risks from roaming (like cars and other dogs).  She and her son came in to pick up all four dogs that evening and you could really see they were bonded with that boy.  We're so happy we could help them.  Thank you, Kelly Sanders, for making this neuter possible for Dark Black.

Thanks to everyone for supporting and reading!  Pass on the good word of spay and neuter and share these stories with your friends.  We know they make us feel good!

FUDGE! July 6, 2012

Not only does Fudge have a great name, but he also has a great family.  They own two other dogs in a addition to Fudge.  They had made appointments for the two girls, but were going to wait on Fudge until they had the money.  Conveniently, they brought Fudge along for the ride, even though he wasn't going to be staying with us.

Of course, we talked to the family and encouraged them to leave Fudge with his sisters and we would fix all three of them.  We explained the importance of spaying and neutering and how it would help him live a longer, healthier life.  With a Spay it Forward provided by Irene Hernandez, we were able to fix and vaccinate all three dogs!

Thanks, Irene, for your strong support of VAW and the SPOT Clinic.  And thank you to everyone out there that passes on the good word of spaying and neutering.  By educating others, you are saving lives.

Kitty Garcia, Shadow, and Taz round out June

Wow!  June sure was a busy month for us!  We spayed and neutered 460 animals.  We had one day where we spayed and neutered 57 animals.  In one day!

On June 23, we helped the Garcia family get their mama kitty and her kittens fixed.  They called to say they had to get the mama fixed because they didn't want any more babies.  We found out that they had two kittens at home, as well.  They were apprehensive about getting the kittens fixed with the mama because of the cost.  We offered them a Spay it Forward for one of their kittens and they brought in all three!  Success!

The babies were still so young when they came in that the family hadn't even givem them proper names, yet!  So, we gave the Spay it Forward to Kitty #1 Garcia and we also fixed the mama and Kitty #2 Garcia!  Thanks to Mary Robertson for making this spay possible!

On June 26th, we were able to help a man and his two dogs, Shadow and Taz.  He has applied for disability, but has not yet been approved.  So, he has no income and has been getting help from his friends.  Unfortunately, we were unable to get pictures of Taz and Shadow that day as we were SO busy.  But we can tell you that they were just the sweetest little dogs!

We provided two Spay it Forwards to cover the surgeries for Shadow and Taz and their owner took care of their vaccinations.  Like his pets, he was such a nice man that was so very thankful for the help he received.  He even asked if he could come in and get a Spay it Forward for someone else once his disability was approved!  What a neat family those three were!  A very special thanks is in order to Kelly Sanders for making those two surgeries possible.

Natasha and her Babies, June 23, 2012

Natasha was found roaming the streets in the SPOT Clinic neighborhood with her two puppies, Rascal and Tiger.  They were all very friendly, but had no owners!

It's not a great picture because the puppies couldn't sit still!!!

Our amazing SPOT Clinic Manager, Arlene, took these three in and called around until she found a foster home for them.  She also paid for all their vaccinations!  And thanks to our amazing donor, Irene Hernandez, we used Spay it Forwards to get everyone fixed.

These three could have ended up in the shelter.  But, thanks to caring people like Arlene and Irene, we were able to get them vaccinated, spayed or neutered, and off the streets!

LB, Spayed May 29, 2012

Well, we're a little behind on getting this blog up, but it's better late than never!

This pretty girl, LB, lives with another kitty.  Her owners called about getting just one of them fixed at a time because they are so low income.  From experience, we know that coming back sometimes gets forgotten or a litter is born before we can get her spayed.  So, we offered her owners a "buy one, get one free" special.  If they were able to pay for the spay and vaccinations for their other kitty, we would use a Spay it Forward to cover the spay and vaccinations for LB.

Of course, they brought both kitties in.  They would have been silly to say no!  Now, both kitties are fixed, healthy, and happy!  A special thank you to Irene Hernandez for making LB's spay possible through the Spay it Forward program.