200 Miles, 120 Surgeries, Thousands of Lives Saved

Published by Alisa Mullins.
2 min read

You get a lot of bang for your buck with the Danville Area Humane Society (DAHS). Despite a modest budget, the rural Virginia open-admission shelter has two court-appointed cruelty investigators, a humane-education program, and a low-cost spay/neuter program that operates with the help of local veterinarians, and it shelters animals in cases of domestic violence, among other activities. But when DAHS won a grant to subsidize spay-and-neuter surgeries, shelter staffers knew they were going to need some help. Happy to pitch in, we loaded up the Holland M. Ware mobile spay-and-neuter clinic and drove 200 miles to the state’s south-central region.

Mobile Spay-Neuter Clinic

Residents jumped at the chance to get their cats fixed for free and dogs for just $30. The event was so popular that all the appointment slots filled up within a couple of days.

Dogs in Line for Spay/Neuter Event

In just two days, we spayed and neutered 120 dogs and cats, a 48-hour record that’s surpassed only by that of the insane 24-hour spay-a-thon that we held back in February.

Getting that many animals “snipped” in such a short time required planning, organization, and long hours. The staff did manage to sneak in a few minutes for a snack break. (Dr. Mitchell worked so hard that he appears to be suffering from “neuter elbow.”)Spay-Neuter Clinic Crew Taking a Break

DAHS Executive Director Paulette Dean was thrilled by the event’s success. “It’s saving hundreds of thousands of kittens and puppies from being born, and we’re very pleased,” she told a local TV news crew.

Three Pit Bulls with Owners

What You Can Do

You can help support PETA’s fleet of mobile spay/neuter clinics (which operate at a loss and rely on donations to keep going) by making a donation to PETA and by signing our pledge to end animal homelessness.

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