"Neuter Commuter" Aims to Keep Pets Healthy and Safe

After 77 dogs and cats were seized from a Dale City home on Aug. 4, the need for proper pet care is in the limelight more than ever. The Prince William Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has options for fixing pets through their "Neuter Commuter" program.

The program, which began last July, is an opportunity for busy pet "parents" to fix their pets without having to take them to the veterinarian's office.

"Within Prince William County there wasn't really anything low-cost for spay or neuter options," said Melissa Korzuch, president of the Prince William SPCA. "So, people were taking pets elsewhere or they weren't spaying or neutering them."

Neuter Commuter is a transport service that runs once a month and provides low-cost spaying and neutering services. Korzuch said that the cost is about less than half of what customers would pay at a vet's office locally.

Cost for the neutering services ranges from $35-$65 depending on the gender and type of animal. No income requirement is set for this service, all are welcome to have their pets spayed and neutered.

On the day of the Neuter Commuter trip, pet "parents" take pets to the Coles Volunteer Fire Department station where a van comes up from the Shenandoah Valley, Harrisonburg, VA area to take the pets to the Shenandoah Valley Spay and Neuter Clinic.

Animals are then spayed and neutered and returned to their "parents" the next day.

"We generally sell out every month. It is the only one offered in the county, so you can't go elsewhere to get these prices," said Korzuch. "We've had close to 400 people participate so far, we've had repeat customers. Volunteers even go on the program with their pets."

Additional pet grooming can be added to the "fixing" trip nails trimmed, ears cleaned for an additional fee.

A licensed veterinarian performs the procedures at the Shenandoah Valley Spay and Neuter Clinic after pets travel about two hours in a luxurious van. Pets then recover from the procedures overnight, and are loaded back up into the van the next day.

Korzuch remembers one Good Samaritan that paid, out of her own pocket, for outside cats that roamed her neighborhood to be spayed and neutered.

"I think it was about 20 female cats that were spayed and neutered," said Melissa. "Which, if you didn't have that done can you imagine how many would end up in the shelters or the road?"

The Prince William SPCA is willing to work with people who cannot afford to spay and neuter their pets for a reduced fare.

Prince William SPCA, a volunteer-run organization, was originally an adults-only program, which has started to bring younger animal lovers into the fold.

Children can participate as well. In its adoption tree program, which runs through Oct. 15, children can hand-make ornaments for a tree that will have pet's photographs on it.

A contest is running in conjunction with the adoption tree program; the group that makes the most ornaments by the end of the program will get a pizza party in November.

"Kids, youth groups, girl scouts, can make paper ornaments for us," said Melissa of the five-year program. "We collect the finished ornaments in the holiday season for our trees so people can see what pets need to be adopted."

Woodbridge Patch participated in the adoption ornament program before the website launched, as a function of the Give 5 volunteer program.

Prince William SPCA's pet food pantry, started last year, anyone can collect food for the Manassas City shelter is available for anyone hitting hard times who can not afford to feed their pets.

The program plans to start a scholarship program in September for three $1,000 scholarships for students in the Prince William, Manassas and Manassas Park.

To participate in the adoption tree ornament program, download the attached PDF for instructions and templates.