By Kalvin D. Perron
Staff Reporter
BAY MILLS — The Bay Mills Spay and Neutering Program now offers pet owners the option of going to the Sault Animal Hospital or the Chippewa County Animal Clinic to have their pets spay or neutered. Previously, the program only allowed pet owners to take their pets to Animal Kingdom to have the operations performed. Since many pet owners have their own personal veterinarians they prefer to take their pets to for care, the addition of the two new animal clinics to the program allows Bay Mills members more of a choice when taking their animals in to get fixed.
The Bay Mills Spay and Neutering Program was formed in January 2000, by the hard work of Phyllis Kinney. Saddened by the abundance of stray dogs and cats in the area, and in an attempt to get a grip on a pet population that was spiralling out of control, Kinney went to the donations committee and asked for $2,000 to help tribal members pay to get their pets spay or neutered. One week after she had asked the donation committee for the money, she was informed by the Bay Mills Executive Council that they had approved the funding. Since Animal Kingdom offered the lowest rate at the time to perform the operations, they were chosen for the program and the Bay Mills Spay and Neutering Program was born.
The executive council agreed to pay two-thirds of the cost to have the operation performed, while the tribal member utilizing the program is responsible for the other one-third. Anyone who wishes to have their pet fixed is issued a ticket from Kinney to the veterinarian of their choosing. Currently, there is no limit as to how many pets can be fixed under the program. To protect the animals at their clinics, pet owners must have all their pets shots up to date before taking their animal in for the operation.
Since the first ticket was issued in February 2000, Kinney has issued 239 tickets in the program. Of those 239 tickets, Kinney estimates that hundreds more could have been spay or neutered, since only one ticket is issued per pet owner, regardless of how many pets are getting fixed.
Even though the program has proven to be a success in the community, Kinney said it is important that people realize that it may not be around forever.
“We need to get the word out that this program is out there and available to people,” she said. “We're on borrowed time right now and could be gone tomorrow, so it is important that people get their pets in to get fixed as soon as possible.”
Kinney would like to remind people that having your pet spay or neutered not only helps control the pet population, but is also proven to help dogs and cats live a longer, healthier life. Studies have shown that spaying or neutering a dog or cat can drastically reduce, or eliminate the incidence of a wide variety of health programs that can be very difficult and expensive to treat. Spaying eliminates the possibility of uterine or ovarian cancer and greatly reduces the incidence of breast cancer, particularly when your pet is spay before her first estrous cycle. Neutering not only eliminates the occurrence of testicular cancer, but also decreases the incidence of prostate disease.
Spaying or neutering your pet not only makes them better companions, but also makes them less likely to bite, roam the neighborhood, fight, run away, or spray and mark territory. When you look at how spaying and neutering not only improves the health of a pet, but how it makes them a better pet for their owner, Kinney said there is no reason why everyone should not take advantage of the program.
“Having a pet is a lifelong commitment, much like having a child,” she said. “This program is extremely important — if we don't do something about our growing pet population we're always going to have stray animals running around biting our kids, digging into our garbage, and overcrowding our animal shelters.”
To learn more about the Bay Mills Spay and Neutering Program, contact Phyllis Kinney at 906-248 3241, ext. 1114, or Laura Parish at 906-248-3617, ext. 1164.
