Orange County Government Public Information Officer
Email: PIO@ocfl.net

Orange County Animal Services Launches Free Spay/Neuter Program For Low-Income Orange County Residents’ Pets

Orange County Government and Orange County Animal Services

Orange County, Fla – Orange County Animal Services (OCAS) received more than 12,000 pets in the past fiscal year. While OCAS achieved a record number of live releases for these pets, the number in need still outpaces the number of available homes, signaling a pet overpopulation problem.

The shelter advocates for spay and neuter as a solution to this problem, as it prevents unwanted litters. To assist low-income Orange County residents with spay/neuter costs; OCAS is launching a new voucher program making these services available for free.

“We anticipate the first round of available vouchers to be spoken for quickly as there’s definitely a strong demand in the community for accessible spay and neuter services,” said Diane Summers, manager of Orange County Animal Services. “Once the grant funds are exhausted we’ll be turning to the community seeking donations to keep the program going.”

Approximately 75% of the pets coming into Animal Services have not been spayed or neutered. The shelter advocates for spay and neuter not just for the benefit to the pet overpopulation problem, but also because sterilized pets tend to lead longer, healthier lives.

“Animal Services aims to improve the wellbeing for pets not just in our shelter, but those in community and this program is on the path toward that goal,” said Summers.

The initial funding for the program comes from a $20,000 grant awarded to Orange County Animal Services from Florida Animal Friend. Animal Services has established partnerships with three local spay/neuter clinics to carry out this program – the Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando, Snip It and Spay N Save. The funds from the grant will cover the costs of approximately 300 pet sterilizations at these clinics.

Visit www.ocnetpets.com for program details.

About Orange County Government: Orange County Government strives to serve its residents and guests with integrity, honesty, fairness and professionalism. Located in Central Florida, Orange County includes 13 municipalities and is home to world-famous theme parks, one of the nation’s largest convention centers and a thriving life science research park. Seven elected members make up the Board of County Commissioners, including the Mayor, who is elected countywide. For more information, please visit www.OCFL.net or go to Orange County Government’s social media channels.

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