All dogs adopted from the Mahoning County Dog Pound are required to be spayed/ neutered, THIS WOULD NOT CHANGE.

Proposed changes to the current spay/neuter agreement.

Currently when a dog is adopted from the pound we make the spay/ neuter appointment at one of the 3 participating Veterinarians, hold the dog here in our kennels, then deliver the dog to the Veterinarians office for the procedure.

Problem: The next available appointment may be two weeks away.

Proposed Solution: Collect the spay neuter fee at the time of adoption and release the dog to the adopter on the day of adoption. The spay/neuter fee would go into a fund that would be used to pay the Veterinarian after the surgery.

This would free up valuable cage space for new arrivals, the dog would be out of the shelter environment, the dog could be bathed, and any health issues could be addressed before surgery. We would give the adopter the list of Veterinarians that participate in the low-cost program and allow the adopter to schedule the spay/ neuter at the Veterinarian of adopter’s choice (within 30 days of adoption unless medically necessary, verified by Veterinarian.)

The reduced spay neuter fee at participating Veterinarians would encourage shelter adoption and the few adopters that choose a Veterinarian that does not participate in the reduced fee program would take  pressure off the Veterinarians that  participate.

I welcome constructive suggestions and comments.
Please email me at  dogwarden@mahoningcountyoh.gov
     

Mike Fox

Mahoning County Dog Warden