Daily Press News Editor
MONTROSE — Spring is the season for kittens and puppies. It’s also a good time to spay or neuter pets, with an eye to reducing the numbers of cats and dogs that come to Montrose Animal Shelter.
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“The main problem is, especially in rural areas, a lot of pets that come into shelters are a result of animals running loose and breeding,” Don Stoutt, vice president of the Montrose Animal Protection Agency said Tuesday.
“We’re trying to educate the public about the need to spay and neuter their pets and helping people pay to do that.”
Spay Day, a program run under the auspices of the Humane Society of the United States, is separate from MAPA’s efforts. It is being conducted locally by the animal shelter, with the help of vets from Planned Pethood, a Denver-based mobile veterinary clinic. Montrose’s Spay Day will be about a month later than the national Spay Day, which was Tuesday.
MAPA, a private organization, works to assist pet owners with the costs of spays and neuters throughout the year and conducts several educational classes.
Montrose Police Officer Mike Duncan, animal control director, also said pet overpopulation is an issue locally. But, he added, the city’s 2006 policy of requiring all animals adopted from the shelter to be reproductively altered seems to be reducing the number of pets brought into the shelter.
There were 2,104 animals taken to the shelter in 2006, about 200 fewer than in 2005.
“We’re hoping that’s due to the city’s support of our spay and neuter programs,” Duncan said.
The city provides a set amount per pet adoption, to be used toward alteration. The new pet owner is responsible for any difference between the money and a vet’s fees.
“The neat thing is, it still allows the customer to use their family vet,” Duncan said. “However you look at it, the spay/neuter is mandatory.”
MAPA is not a division of the shelter or animal control, but supports the agency’s efforts. It also raises funds throughout the year to assist in pet spays and neuters.
Fundraisers include Santa Paws, a pet photo op with Santa Claus, held each year in December at Murdoch’s and a trivia night, to be held later this month. City Market value club members can also designate MAPA to receive a small percentage of money based on each value-card purchase made.
The organization’s primary grantor is the Colorado Pet Overpopulation Fund, which is also a donation check-off item on Colorado tax return forms.
Fund-raising efforts, combined with grant money, spelled success for last year, when MAPA aided 600 pet owners, Stoutt said.
“This was the best year we had as far as how many people we helped. Our goal has always been to help 500 people. This year, we went above and beyond that.”
He credited extra grant money his organization had secured and added that MAPA has been able to assist with 131 spay/neuters so far this fiscal year.
MAPA welcomes new members to its meetings, held at 7 p.m. the third Tuesday of each month at the animal shelter conference room.
Upcoming MAPA events include the trivia night, which begins at 7 p.m. March 24 at the United Methodist Church. (Doors open at 6:30 p.m.; use Park Avenue entrance). Eight-member teams will compete for medallions and the entry fee, $10 per person, will help generate funds, Stoutt said.
MAPA’s upcoming classes include a workshop on cat behavior slated for 10:30 a.m. March 10 at the animal shelter. The organization additionally educates school students about animal-related issues and sponsors a spring adopt-a-thon, plus a poster contest in May for Be Kind to Animals Week.
More information about MAPA is available at www.mapa-co.org. The phone number is 249-4308.
Anyone interested in participating in the animal shelter’s Spay Day March 26 and 27 must schedule an appointment in advance at 240-1487. Pet owners must be able to drop off and pick up their animals.
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