SCRAPS spays and neuters 100 dogs to address Spokane's dog overpopulation issue

SPOKANE, Wash. -- Spokane County Regional Animal Protection Service (SCRAPS) held an event on Sunday aimed at making sure every dog in Spokane gets proper healthcare.

On August 25, SCRAPS, along with various community partners, hosted 'Spokane County Snip,' an event where dozens of dogs were spayed and neutered to help curb the overpopulation issue.

"There is nowhere left in rescues and shelters for them to go, and that is due to extreme overpopulation and availability of our resources," said Katie Schmidlkofer, founder and director at Mercy's Mission Animal Rescue, which partnered with SCRAPS for the event.

Animal advocates said the dog overpopulation problem is nationwide and that there has been a shortage of veterinarians to provide care for pets since the Covid-19 pandemic.

"The solution is spay and neuter projects like this. There has to be a shortage of dogs, so that every dog can find a home and be loved," said SCRAPS volunteer, Kerry Masters.

The event provided free spaying and neutering as well as pet vaccinations at no cost to owners.

"Everyone wants to take care of their pets, but even $25 was hard for some people to come up with," said Masters.

Three veterinarians gave care to just over 100 dogs.

Organizers of Spokane County Snip hope to hold more free spay and neuter clinics in the future.

"This is absolutely our biggest push... to have more of these around," said Schmidlkofer.

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