Silver Anniversary: 25 Years Of Service For SNAN

By Nancy K. Crevier

It is a win-win situation for both pets and owners when the option of spaying or neutering a pet is embraced, said members of the Spay and Neuter Association of Newtown, Inc, (SNAN) who met Wednesday, February 21, to discuss business and the celebration of the organization’s 25th year.

“The pet population is like the people population. There are more pets and people living than dead,” said member John Stott. It is because of the pet overpopulation problem that is a continuous issue in Newtown and surrounding towns that SNAN members work to assist pet owners with affordable spaying and neutering of their dogs and cats.

“Just getting the female [animals] spayed is not enough,” explained one of the original founders of SNAN, Carolyn Downing. “The males need to be taken care of, too, or the problem just continues. SNAN works with area veterinarians to provide lower-priced spaying and neutering, we provide information to people about spaying and neutering their pets, and we will pay for the operations if the owner cannot afford it.”

What SNAN has not provided in its 25 years of existence, stressed Mr Stott and SNAN president Marion Thompson, is a “free lunch.” The cost to SNAN each year to assist with spaying and neutering of pets, strays, and feral cats is between $7,000 and $10,000, all of which is raised through donations, memorial endowments, bake and tag sales, and auctions.

“We would like people to be educated enough to take care of their animals and be able to afford to spay and neuter their pets, but we are not here just to hand out a cheap way to do so to anyone. We are happy to help people who truly need assistance, but we tell people, ‘If you drive up [to the veterinarian’s office] in a Mercedes or a Jaguar, the vet has the right to refuse you a low-cost service.’ We just cannot afford to pay for every spay and neuter.”

SNAN has always worked with area veterinarians willing to accept their vouchers for a discount on spaying and neutering, and just last year, instituted a new service that they hope will make it easier for people unable to get to a veterinarian office to have their cats neutered. In conjunction with the Animal Center of Newtown, SNAN sponsors the Team-Mobile Unit, an operating room on wheels.

The mobile service is only for cats, but because cats are more of a problem than dogs — or the occasional rabbit or sheep — it is an extremely useful tool for the group.

Even so, said Ms Thompson, it would be a big help to SNAN if more area vets were able to do just two or three low-cost spays for the organization each month. “We field at least 20 calls a month for assistance with spaying and neutering, and that doesn’t even include the feral animals.”

Unless an animal is being used for breeding, there is no reason to avoid sterilizing a cat or dog, said member Penny Meek. “Neutered animals make better pets. They don’t go into heat, which is so annoying, and they stay at home. The male animals don’t get into fights and are cleaner.” There are health reasons, too, she said, for neutering a pet. “Male dogs can avoid prostrate cancer if they are neutered, and mammary gland cancer is a real problem for unspayed female cats.”

The town also benefits from the actions of SNAN, said Ms Meek. “When someone calls for assistance, we ask if the pet is up to date on shots. If they aren’t, when they go to be spayed or neutered they are given a distemper and rabies shot. We help make sure that animals in town are up to date on their rabies shots.”

A brunch in June at the Stony Hill Inn will kick off the 25th anniversary celebration of SNAN, said Ms Thompson, and will kick off raffle ticket sales for a very special quilt being created for the group by local quilters, The Sew Together Gals. Along with the usual bake sales and a tag sale table the day of the Pootatuck Duck Race, residents can also expect to see SNAN well represented in the Labor Day Parade this year.

Tax-deductible donations can be mailed to SNAN at PO Box 352, Newtown CT 06470. For assistance with spaying or neutering costs, call 426-5730.