Animal Welfare Professionals

Hello Everyone! I am looking for some input. Part of my job here at the Humane Society of Yates County is being the Low-Cost Spay & Neuter Coordinator. We started the program thanks to a generous grant received from the ASPCA. This journey began at the end of 2016 and has since made improvements, but has plenty of space to grow. 

I would love to get some advice on how you may reach out to the public about spay/neuter and why it's important. In the past and currently, I have had flyers/yard signs made and post ads to our fb page and radio. Our program is geared toward low income residents that reside in our county. On average I schedule about 15 pets per month. At this time the cost is $25 for feline spay/neuter and $50 for canine spay/neuter. Vaccinations are included in that price if needed. 

A few specific questions:

Do you feel going door to door is appropriate or should I stick to flyers/signs? (I want to spread the word as much as possible and also believe going door to door may give some good insight on just how much the public has or has not heard about our shelter and program.)

Do the prices seem reasonable? (We are located in a rural area in Upstate, NY. There are many low-income families.)

Statement, If you are a part of a spay/neuter program similar to what we refer to as LCSN, I would love your email to network and bounce ideas off one another. 

Thank you, and I look forward to seeing some response. 

Love it!!! We are in a urban area so the $25 price tag seems super reasonable. You could set up a sliding scale (e.g., elderly owners would be $15 cats and $25 dogs or feral cats would be $15 each) and see if that gets more traction. We have had good success on NextDoor and there is a close communications between the rescues so when there is a low-cost clinic, all the rescues cross post on our pages to help promote the event. I would look into how people in your area communicate. In LA, having flyers and brouchers available in Spanish and available at churches helps reach that community. 

Thank you for your response. Our clinic is set on an ongoing basis. Meaning we don't have set dates, rather we accept applications, get the animals scheduled and send out letters of approval with the surgery dates. Sadly, here in Upstate, NY we don't have a wide range of demographic. Do you have any thoughts on the door to door process? The main Village we are located in has a low crime rate and I personally would consider it at least safe to walk door to door. 

That sounds like a great idea! We have a small group that actually goes door to door in some of the lower income area with a small set of supplies (nail clippers, flea meds,tick tweezers, small bags of food, etc) and brouchers to low cost spay and neuter/ vet services. They talk to pet owners about their pets, provide simple services, refer the owners to spay and neuter and provide simple training/advice. The idea is to help keep pets in homes to reduce shelter intake. If you have the people that are willing to do the same, then that would be great! I think your team will get a lot of information and make some great connections to the community. We always send out teams of at least 2 and usually closer to 4 since many families have multiple pets and some team members are better with cats or dogs. Hope this helps!

Hello,

It may seem a little unconventional, but some people have good luck by patrolling craigslist ads, or other online classifieds, for people trying to sell puppies or kittens. Instead of blocking or reporting the ads, they show empathy for the person's situation, and offer spay/neuter services for the pet parents. Sooo many people are thankful for an affordable option to get s/n done (especially after dealing with a litter of puppies!), and if it can be set up for them, they are 99% more likely to actually do it before another litter makes an appearance.

Good luck!

Teresa

I think that if you're comfortable with going door to door, it's worth a try!  At the very least it's free exposure for your org's services, and as one of the other posters pointed out, it connects you with your community on a personal level. Have you reached out to other orgs/govt agencies/churches/food pantries/senior centers/etc that provide services to the population you're targeting? Sharing your flyers and services info with them could be a great way to spread the word. Good luck!