MISSISSIPPI SPAY AND NEUTER

We believe that by providing access to affordable spay/neuter programs as well as educating the public about the need to prevent unwanted births of puppies and kittens. By making prevention our major goal then we can stop the killing of healthy dogs and cats in local communities as well as reducing the numbers of homeless dogs and cats who are being left to die on streets and highways.

We are actively promoting our three spay and neuter delivery systems as well as looking for new and effective awareness programs like SPAY IT FORWARD and Save a Life Tomorrow. We need to engage the public as well as other animal welfare organizations so that together we can continue to increase and strengthen our existing programs that provide the affordable and humane solution, which is prevention through spay and neuter.

Because Mississippi Spay and neuter has only one mission, which is to end the crisis of pet overpopulation, we have be able to work closely with the veterinary community so that we can continue to provide spay/neuter, voucher and referral services to 82% of the population (42 counties out of 82 counties) with our three delivery systems: Big Fix Clinic, targeted voucher and transport programs. Our fourth delivery system is our referral programs that refers pet owners to the other three high-volume spay/neuter clinics as well as to other voucher programs across the state Mississippi.

These services are what make MS SPAN such a great asset to Mississippi residents and why we have been able to help more pet owners get their pets fixed through our delivery systems. Plus we are changing the way Mississippians feel about and how they treat their dogs and cats.

Fortunately, we have a local foundation who is committed to helping people get their companion and feral animals fixed. With their financial support, we are able to help every pet owner looking for affordable spay and neuter services through our Big Fix Clinic in Central Mississippi. If their dog or cat does not meet our requirements (over the age of six and has medical issues), we issue them a voucher to a private veterinary clinic that matches our fees at the Big Fix Clinic.

For those pet owners outside of commuting distance, we provide a transport services in three counties (Lauderdale, Pike and Warren) and they also receive services based on their ability to pay.

Lastly, our voucher program is currently being funded by the Bernice Barbour Foundation, Mississippi's Animal Care Tag and the Natchez Fund, which funding is being raised by local volunteers in Natchez, MS, At this time, we are targeting 19+ communities and our yearly bank balance for this fund runs from $18,000 - $20,000, which is sufficient to meet the demand for spay/neuter vouchers.

We have seen the demand for spay/neuter services increase steadily in the last 14 years. And through our yearly conferences, we also know that the other two high volume clinics have made a significant difference in their communities too. In 2007, we brought the Little Fix Rig to Hattiesburg, MS and helped them introduce affordable spay/neuter services for community animals and in 2009 the Hattiesburg Shelter opened up their own successful high-volume spay/neuter clinic.

In 2010, we took the Little Fix Rig to Natchez, MS and we ran a monthly spay and neuter clinic in their community. In 2011, they decided to start raising money for a voucher fund to help residents in Natchez, MS and asked MS SPAN to manage the Natchez fund. They have raised over $23,965+ dollars and their fund helped to fix more than 1579+ dogs and cats fixed under this program.

So we believe that the Little Fix Rig was initially our ambassador for introducing affordable spay and neuter services into these two underserved counties. And we also have helped other groups establish their own non-profit organizations so that they can help their own community animals. And now the Big Fix Clinic is helping more than 82% of the Mississippi population get access to affordable spay/neuter services.

In 2019, we recognized that the demand for spay and neuter had grown larger than the Big Fix Clinic could accommodate. We renovated and moved into a larger facility that will allow us to double our capacity, and our goal is to be operating at full capacity by the end of 2020.