AUBURN, Ala. (EETV) - The Spay Neuter Your Pet (SNYP) program is designed to help prevent pet overpopulation and to aid members of our community who cannot otherwise afford to have their pets spayed or neutered. The program, in its second year, is financed by the City of Auburn, the City of Opelika, the City of Smiths Station and the Lee County Commission.
Applicants must come into one of the participating offices to fill out an application. Locations include the Animal Health Center and the Opelika Animal Hospital and will accept applications on Monday and Tuesday between 10 a.m. and noon.
Applicants will receive a voucher and can go to a vet clinic of their choosing. To participate, applicants must provide proof of one of the following: Medicaid or a combined household income of $25,000 or less. In addition, he or she must be a citizen of Lee County and provide proof of rabies vaccination.
The SNYP covers the cost of the spay or neuter surgery. If it is recommended that a pet receive additional services, such as disease testing or prevention or blood work, SNYP will not cover these costs. The costs to spay or neuter is $5 for felines and $10 for canines and rabies vaccinations.
“Spaying and neutering has been shown to drastically reduce overpopulation, and caring for an animal can be challenging for low income citizens. Overpopulation costs taxpayers a great deal due to animal control and sheltering programs aimed at coping with unwanted and homeless cats and dogs,” said Robert Ham, Lee County Commissioner, District 4. “The Lee County Commission will administer the program on behalf of the cities of Opelika, Auburn and Smiths Station.”
Ham also stated that euthanasia has drastically decreased in Lee County due to affordable adoptions that are available in the area, and this Spay Neuter program will only help those numbers continue to decline. In addition, this program will save the cities money on animal control.
For more information about specifics of the SNYP program, please call Lee County Environmental Services at (334) 737-7013 or Commissioner Robert Ham at (334) 319-0691.
