Bend Spay & Neuter Project performs 50,000th surgery
The Bend Spay+Neuter Project, a local nonprofit committed to providing free and low-cost services for cats and dogs, announced Thursday that it has performed its 50,000 th surgery.
The clinic provides spay, neuter and basic wellness services for pets in order to create a more humane community. This latest milestone is indicative of the huge impact that the organization has had on pet overpopulation and homelessness since its founding in 2005.
“When our clinic began, we had a singular goal of helping combat pet overpopulation,” said Megan Gram, executive director for the organization. “To think that we’ve had such a large impact on our community is amazing. And one thing we’ve learned over the years is that there is a story behind every animal – and owner – that comes through our doors.”
The clinic’s 50,000 th surgery was conducted on a pit bull mix named Charles, who was found abandoned at a rental property in California. Anne, a Bend Spay+Neuter Project volunteer, met Charles when she was visiting family and decided to drive him to Bend in hopes of finding him a new home here. Another clinic volunteer, Chris, heard that Charles was available and thought he would be a perfect match for his dog, Melo, whom he had adopted from Warm Springs with the help of Bend Spay+Neuter Project about a year ago.
“It’s hard to imagine what Central Oregon would look like without the work we’ve been able, and honored, to do in our community,” said Gram. “Without spay and neuter, education, and awareness, there would be many more homeless animals in our shelters.”
Gram says that the number of animals that 50,000 spay and neuter surgeries has kept from homelessness, neglect and worse, is hard to estimate exactly. However, considering that a single pair of cats and their kittens can produce as many as 420,000 kittens in just seven years and one female dog and her babies can theoretically create 67,000 puppies in six years, pet population in Central Oregon has been drastically impacted by the work of Bend Spay+Neuter Project.
About Bend Spay+Neuter Project
Located in Bend, Oregon, the Bend Spay+Neuter Project provides affordable, preventative care and other services to the entire Central Oregon region – all with a mission of keeping pets and people together. Services include spay and neuter for dogs and cats; a trap, neuter, release program for community cats; wellness clinics for basic care and immunizations; HOPE Pet Food Bank; and other pet-related services, such as microchips and providing coats for homeless dogs. Find out more at www.bendsnip.org.
