Borrowed with permission from the ASPCA Pro website: www.aspcapro.org

Litter Patrol

• Someone to scour the “free” puppy or kitten classified ads in local daily papers and call them
• Funds to perform spay/neuter surgeries
• A clinic to take the pets for their surgeries
• A program for placing animals in adoptive homes
• Help transporting the animals
• Cards to distribute with the organization/clinic phone number

• Look in the classified section of the local papers each day and see if litters of puppies or kittens are being offered for free or low cost.
• Call the people who placed the ads and offer to help fix the litters and their parents. If you have space, your organization can offer to take the litters into your adoption program. If not, you can ask the people to hold the litters until they are old enough and you will help fix.
• Help set up appointments and provide transportation if necessary.
• Follow up!

• Many people are grateful for the help! They didn’t want to be in this position with litters of animals to place and are happy to know services are available.
• It can really spread by word of mouth so be prepared! Litter Patrol took into their adoption program 184 puppies and 600 kittens in 2006. They also altered 39 adult dogs and 174 adult cats.
• It’s important to set aside some funds up front to get this program started. Planned Pethood earmarked $6,000 from a Paw-Hoorah auction event.
• In just three years, Planned Pethood is seeing a decrease in the number of puppies listed in classified ads and the county is beginning to see a decline in intakes—signs of success!

• Your own spay/neuter event utilizing either a mobile unit or mash style clinic
• Someone to create a list of local veterinarians and contact them
• Informational materials to send to veterinarians
• Marketing plan to promote the mobile unit and additional participating vets
• List of local media for advertising

1. Once your spay/neuter event is set, and you know where you will be, contact local veterinarians in that area and offer them the opportunity to lower their pricing to match your pricing for the day. If they agree, you will include their clinic and contact information in all advance media. You want to make the public aware that they can come to either your clinic or one of the advertised local vet clinics.
2. Develop your marketing/PR plan.
3. Produce print materials to promote the event.

• Many vets do not like mobiles or mash clinics, which they may view as competition, operating in their city.
• Your work to create alliances with local veterinarians has potential for future partnerships as well.

• When people come to the Flagler County Humane Society to retrieve their intact lost pet, they are given some options.
• They may pay their “return to owner” fees* which include:
• Municipal fees (depending on municipality $0-$20).
• Boarding fees ($5 per day).
• Cost of vaccines/diagnostics ($5-$15).

• The shelter will waive the “return to owner” fees* if the person will purchase a low cost spay/neuter certificate.
• Although it is not mandatory that the owners use the spay/neuter certificate, it gives staff the opportunity to educate owners on the benefits of spay/neuter. People have been very receptive. Most who decide on this option do follow through and get their pet spayed or neutered.

• The low cost spay/neuter fees are available due to the cooperation of local veterinarians. Fees for the spay/neuter certificates range from:
• Cats: $20 for a male, $35 for a female
• Dogs $35 - $65 depending on age, size and sex. The certificates may not cover the entire cost of female dogs weighing more than 75 pounds.