Spay & Neuter Cross-Country Tour - Cumberland, Md.

Nearly 150 applications already in for July spay and neuter tour
Colorado-based nonprofit bringing mobile clinic to Queen City

By The Potomac Highlands Dispatch
MOUNT SAVAGE, May 2 -- Pet owners have until May 25 to apply for a spot in the inaugural Spay & Neuter Cross Country Tour coming to the Allegany County area this summer.

To apply for your pet, click here.

Both Cumberland and Keyser, W.Va., made the short list of 16 cities in 11 states from Texas to North Carolina. For a full list of cities, click here. The tour is being coordinated by Justice & Compassion for Animals (JC4A), a Colorado nonprofit organization and its founder and president, Kristen M. Marciniak, helps provide financial assistance for economically challenged pet owners.

While some spots tentatively on the tour could be eliminated due to a lack of applications for pet surgeries, that likely won't be the case for Cumberland. Already, nearly 150 applications have been received by JC4A for assistance.

Marciniak said that "no news is good news," and that if an application has been submitted it should be considered approved unless the pet owner hears from her or another JC4A representative.

"Many people are surprised to learn that nationwide more than three million cats and dogs are euthanized in shelters" each year according to The Humane Society of the United States. "Spay/neuter is the only permanent, 100-percent effective method of birth control for dogs and cats."

There are an estimated six million to eight million homeless dogs and cats in America, according to the HSUS website. Nearly 50 percent of them are euthanized on an annual basis.

In Allegany County, recent years' figures reflect a euthanasia rate of approximately 85 percent. Since the resignation of former Allegany County Animal Shelter manager Camille Carrico, however, the save rate is at or above 90 percent.

The surgeries will be offered at a reduced cost - the surgeries can range between $175 and $350 at local veterinarians' offices - or, if funds permit, at no charge. The event follows on the heels of the semiannual low-cost rabies clinic coordinated by the Allegany County Health Department.

Details for the Cumberland and Keyser stops, including specific location and dates, will become available soon. Tentatively, the mobile clinic is scheduled to be in Keyser July 16-17 and in Cumberland July 19-21, although those dates could change.

Marciniak is currently naming local special event coordinators for the tour. Mandy Craze, of Frostburg, is the volunteer representative for Keyser and Kevin Spradlin of Mount Savage is the contact for the Cumberland stop. Craze can best be reached by e-mail at [email protected]. Spradlin can be reached by phone at 301-264-3147 or by email.

Due to the close proximity of the locations, Craze and Spradlin plan to work together on a variety of fundraising events, proceeds from which all go toward the same pot of money that will help fund the trip and surgeries.

Volunteers will play a pivotal role in the success of this inaugural tour. Help is needed in the next 10 weeks in fundraising, marketing and building community support for the event. Work can be as simple as requesting businesses to display a small poster in business windows.