Dubois County Humane Society set to open spay and neuter clinic in Jasper
The Dubois County Humane Society is set to expand its services by offering access to a new spay and neuter clinic in Jasper.
Through years of careful planning, creative fundraising, and financial efforts, the nonprofit dedicated to finding homes and caring for stray dogs and cats has purchased a home at 529 W 9th Street in Jasper to be converted into a clinic.
Originally, the nonprofit had planned to include the expansion as part of the renovation at the DCHS Wernsing Road location. Unfortunately, the cost of renovations didn’t leave room for the addition.
“Since that setback, our board has shown unwavering dedication, working year after year to secure the necessary funds,” said DCHS Board President Jordan Wehr.
The nonprofit is solely supported by fundraising activities it takes on.
“This means that every dollar needed for the clinic and the shelter’s operations must be fundraised by our board members each and every year,” Wehr added. “To make ends meet, we’ve explored a wide range of fundraising activities, leaving no stone unturned. From hosting bake sales featuring delectable cinnamon rolls to organizing community events like Strassenfest and even holding garage sales. We’ve tried just about every fundraising approach imaginable.”
This Saturday, DCHS is hosting a garage sale at the new clinic to fundraise for operational expenses and equipment. More details on that can be found at the end of the article.
The Dubois County Humane Society is committed to reducing the pet overpopulation in our community, finding homes for abused, abandoned, and homeless animals, and preventing animal neglect and cruelty through community education programs.
According to Wehr, the new clinic is needed to address the growing population of stray cats and dogs. Though DCHS has partnerships with clinics to provide those services, waiting times continue to increase with backlogs for spay and neuter appointments causing two- to three-month wait times, Wehr said.
In addition to reducing wait times, the new facility will address several areas of the DCHS mission and support their efforts.
“By reducing the population of unplanned litters, the strain on local donors, city and county resources also reduces,” she explained. “It’s a win-win for Dubois County and surrounding counties.”
When the DCHS Spay and Neuter Clinic opens, services will be provided for anyone needing them, whether a pet owner or another rescue shelter.
“Several area rescues have already reached out to partner for their rescue animals, as well,” said Wehr.
DCHS has contracted services with local veterinarian Dr. Holly Renner, DVM. Dr. Renner is a Dubois County native who has worked in small vet medicine in Indiana and Idaho. Shelby Wendholt, the Veterinary Technician currently at DCHS, will assist Dr. Renner and the necessary staff and volunteers to ensure the safest procedures and recoveries for the animals.
While services will only be available for dogs and cats when the new clinic initially opens, they hope to also provide vaccinations and microchip clinics in the future as the clinic gets up and running.
Right now, the board and volunteers are concentrating on raising the needed funds to purchase the surgical equipment and complete renovations to the home to get up and running by the end of the year. According to their fundraising page on the DCHS site, they need about $42,000 to accomplish those goals. You can see how to help at this link.
Here is information about this Saturday’s yard sale.
