Calgary Journal Online

New accessible spay and neuter program launched by animal bylaw services

Oct. 25 was a monumental day for the Calgary animal and bylaw services as the final phase of a no cost pet spay and neuter program was officially launched.

Jim Degenstien receives a gift from Animal & Bylaw Services to thank him for being the first Calgarian to have his dog spayed under this new program.

Photo: Matthew Hayhurst/Calgary Journal

Jim Degenstien, owner of a six-month-old Jack Russell terrier named Jewel and the first dog to be spayed under this new program, said that this program was exactly what he had been waiting for.

“It’s a burden off my shoulders,” Degenstien said. “Otherwise I would have had to pay out of my own pocket, and being in the low income category, I wouldn’t have been able to afford it.”

The service provides pet owners with free neuter or spay surgery for their pet, a free six-month pet license, and a microchip to help locate a pet’s owner in case it has been found by animal services.

“They gave me a six month free license, they micro chipped her, and that’s all through this program," Degenstien said. “It means that other people like myself can get their pets spayed and neutered.  Unwanted animals won’t be abandoned.“

Tax payers are not footing the bill for this program. The funding comes directly from revenue generated from cat licensing.

“I like to tell people that every time you license your cat, you save the lives of a couple other cats as well," Bruce said. “The goal of this program is to see populations reduce in a humane way and not through animal euthanization, but through measures of spaying and neutering.”

Still Bill Bruce, director of the animal and bylaw services, said “Less unwanted animals in our shelters, and less animals being euthanized because there is no place for them.”

Eligible Calgarians must be at least 18 years of age, and they must be a permanent Calgary resident and have a household income that falls into the Statistics Canada low income cut off.

Low income per household is defined by Statistics Canada as earning $18,895 annually for one person and $23,523 annually for two people.

Bruce said there are a lot of low-income families out there who can’t afford the simple cost of a spay or neuter for their pet.

“In my personal experience, having met many of them, they’re loving pet owners, but the simple cost of surgery is creating a barrier to them,” Bruce said. “This program removes that barrier.”

The number one goal of this program is to reduce the number of unwanted dogs and cats that show up in animal shelters by giving all pet owners access to a simple surgery that will help reduce the population of unwanted pets in Calgary.

“The Canadian average for euthanasia is running at about 73 per cent, Calgary and this shelter is currently running at about 22 per cent,” Bruce said. “We believe that number should be zero.”

Joanne Hahn, animal bylaw services manager, said “This is so important to Calgarians, because we have a problem with homeless dogs and cats."

“Licensing is part of the issue, because with a license you can connect a cat to an owner, which means less animals in Calgary shelters,” Hahn said. "The other part is the spay and neuter to make sure that all the pets that are born are wanted and can be humanly taken care of.”

“If a vet has a client that can’t afford the surgery, then they can refer them to us, and we can do the surgery for free," Hahn added. "Even people living at homeless shelters in Calgary who have pets will have access to our program. It’s all about equality and we want everyone to be able to do what is best for their pets.”

For more information on the program, call 3-1-1 or visit www.calgary.ca/animalservices