The Animal Protective Foundation of Scotia today held a celebratory groundbreaking ceremony to announce the receipt of a $454,970 grant from the ASPCA® which will aid in the construction of the new Community Spay/Neuter Clinic, scheduled to open this summer. The new facility will allow the APF to substantially increase surgery capacity and offer affordable surgeries to the pets of low-income families in the surrounding areas.
According to APF Executive Director Michael Daugherty, "We are humbled by this extraordinarily generous gift from the ASPCA and the confidence that it conveys in our work. With this grant we are much closer to fully funding our clinic, which will enable us to help so many more animals and have a much greater impact on the serious pet overpopulation crisis in our Capital Region communities."
"The ASPCA strongly believes that funding local efforts such as the APF's new Community Spay/Neuter Clinic is essential in the move toward eliminating animal overpopulation," said Michael Barrett, vice president of grants management at the ASPCA. "Spay/neuter is an issue that not many people think about, but the ASPCA recognizes it as the most effective way to prevent unplanned litters and a key step in keeping animals out of shelters. Through grants, we are able to help organizations like the APF continue their work to reduce the number of homeless animals in their communities through spay/neuter. These critical programs ultimately help pet owners provide the best care for their animals."
Daugherty continued, "A project like this would simply not have been possible without the generosity of a dedicated group of private individuals, businesses, foundations and organizations such as the ASPCA. Especially in these economic times, to receive such generous support tells us that our community believes deeply in what we are doing and shares our vision for a community with far fewer homeless, neglected and abused animals."
The Clinic will be a 2,000-square-foot surgical center that will provide spay/neuter surgeries to at-risk animals. It will house two surgical suites and appropriate space for surgery preparation and recovery, along with a reception center and office space. The current program is limited both in staffing and physical capacity, and this expansion will allow for more cat surgeries and the addition of surgeries for dogs. The increased space will allow for upwards of 6,000 surgeries annually.
The project also includes connection of the clinic to an existing garage, which will house an expanded and upgraded cat isolation room, equipped with an air exchange system critical to caring for cats with upper respiratory infections. An expanded laundry area will also be included.
Follow all the news about Pets, Education and Child Health by subscribing to my articles. Click on the "Subscribe" button, or here: http://www.examiner.com/user-bmader.
Comments