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Dakin's Spay/Neuter Program reaches 25,000th animal

Date: 3/27/2012

March 26, 2012

By G. Michael Dobbs

news@thereminder.com

SPRINGFIELD — Lexus is a special dog. Sitting quietly in a holding pen at Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society on Union Street until her family could retrieve her, she was the embodiment of a plan to help solve the problem of homeless animals.

The pit bull from Holyoke was the 25,000th animal to have gone through the society's spay/neuter program, a part of Dakin's three-year plan to end the euthanasia of homeless adoptable animals, Candy Lash, Dakin's director of Community and Media Relations, said.

Lash explained a dog such as Lexus is the kind of animal the program was designed to help. Lexus has had a history of mistreatment and, although now lives with a family who cares for her, has not been spayed.

"Pit bulls are one of the most disenfranchised breeds, who are most likely to wind up in a shelter," Lash said.

Spaying and neutering animals helps prevent unwanted dogs and cats from becoming homeless, she added.

The Spay/Neuter Program opened in October 2009 and was the first of its kind in Massachusetts. Dakin serves Franklin, Hampshire and Hampden counties in Massachusetts and Hartford County in Connecticut with this program.

During the first year, the program served 7,000 animals and is now reaching about 1,000 animals a month.

Lash said the program is priced to allow families even living on subsidies to be able to afford this necessary procedure. For a pit bull, living with a family receiving assistance, the cost is $50. That price includes spaying or neutering and vaccinations.

For other dogs, the cost is $150 for animals weighing less than 49 pounds and for larger dogs, the cost is $200. Pit bulls receive a $50 discount off of those prices, Lash said.

The intent of the program is that once the paying/neutering procedure is completed, families will then seek a veterinarian for on-going health check-ups, she added.

For more information on the clinic, go to www.dpvhs.org or call 781-4019.



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