S.N.A.P.: Transforming Monroe County's Animal Landscape

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Once per month, there is a medium-sized gathering of people, with a handful of volunteers in vivid red t-shirts taming down the crowd. It could be at a community center, a senior center, or perhaps a town hall - depending on which town it happens to be in that month. In the span of a few hours, this event holds the potential to vastly change the fate of many animals. Vouchers for pets, dogs or cats, to be spayed or neutered, have been handed out. By the end of a session, over a hundred vouchers are filled out and approved, which means that many animals will undergo the surgery if all appointments are made and kept. It’s a popular service in the somewhat impoverished area known as Monroe county, which is a place known for its small and underfunded animal shelter and, formally, its overabundance of stray dogs and feral cats. Over the course of its running, S.N.A.P. (otherwise known as Spay/Neuter Assistance for Pets) has made a major impact on the animals of Monroe county, and arguably the people as well, at least to some degree. The shelter intake is at an all-time low; rarely is it full. Euthanasia at the shelter is less frequent than previous years. Strays have …show more content…

While the surgery has a higher risk, especially of bleeding, it can still be performed. However, this is still a very commonly debated subject, and can be touchy when it’s being explained to silver-haired, heavily perfumed elderly women, very adamant elderly men, or families with children who really want to see puppies, but couldn’t find proper homes for them if they were born. Of course, I had gotten lucky when talking to the aforementioned women who came in and talked about her pregnant dog. She was somewhat relieved when she found out her dog could be spayed before she’d have to find homes for yet another

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