The Conroe Animal Shelter is partnering with Spay/Houston to provide neutering services and general vet care for shelter animals as well as the public at reduced prices.

“Any kind of routine services a pet would need, you can do here for a severely reduced rate,” said John Geiser, shelter manager. “If you come in for your yearly services, it would cost half of what you would pay at a regular vet office.”

Conroe took over the operations of its animal shelter in September after the Humane Society of Montgomery County was unable to continue its services at the current budget. The city hired John Geiser, former administrative manager of the Montgomery County Animal Shelter in October.

“Thanks for all you are doing,” Councilman Toby Powell told Geiser during Wedneday’s council work session. “I like what I am hearing and I like what I am reading. You’ve got a lot of good volunteers.”

The shelter currently has 67 dogs and 54 cats available for adoption, and no animals are being euthanized because of a lack of space. Only those that are sick or vicious are being put down.

“We reduced the euthanasia rate by 40 percent in November through December,” Geiser said. “We hope to reduce it even further.”

The adoption fee for cats and male dogs is $70, and the cost of a female dog is $85, which includes spay or neutering and vaccinations. The city also has a policy that allows people to “test drive” an animal for a week and to return it if it does not fit into the family, Geiser said.

The shelter also has a cadre of 50 volunteers, who collect donations, towels and food, man off-site adoptions, walk dogs or play with cats. Volunteers must be 16 years old to handle animals alone or younger children may accompany their parents to the shelter.

“It was almost non-existent when I got here,” Geiser said.

Thanks to the generous donation of ripped dog food bags from Walmart on Loop 336 and public donations, the city has not had to pay for food for the animals since October, Geiser said.

“To date, we have not had to buy a single bag,” Geiser said.

The animal shelter currently employs two full time and four part time workers. The shelter is open Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The vet service program at the city shelter will be called Spay/Conroe and the public can take advantage of the services for their own pet. The organization, which has a clinic at the shelter with a vet and two technicians, can provide neutering services at a reduced rate. The cost is $40 for male cats and $55 for female cats and ranges from $55 to $95 for male dogs and $65 to $115 for female dogs based on weight.

Spay/Conroe also offers routine vaccinations and other pet care at reduced rates from a regular vet office. Shots, such as rabies and parvo distemper, range from $15 to $17, with combination packs available at higher rates. Other services include heartworm tests and prevention, nail clipping, skin scraping, deworming and flea and tick control, Geiser said.

“We had the equipment and they had the space,” said Deana Sellens, clinic director for Spay/Houston. “It was a win-win situation for both of us. We are offering the services at a reduced rate to lower the unwanted birth rate, to keep unwanted animals out of the shelter and to reduce the risk of disease if they wind up in the shelter.”

Spay/Houston is mentored by the National Spay/Neuter Response Team, which has 69 clinics across the country. Services are provided by Adopt a Cat, Inc, a no-kill cat sanctuary in Houston. It is opening a second location in Greenspoint on Feb. 1.

SHELTER SERVICES

Spay/Houston is partnership with the Conroe Animal Shelter to provide low-cost pet care for city residents. In addition to handling routine services to shelter animals, these services are available to the general public at reduced costs. To make an appointment, call Spay/Houston at 281-260-0015. Following are services offered:
• Spay/neuter for dogs and cats
• Vaccinations
• Microchipping
• Heartworm test and prevention
• Nail clipping
• Skin scrapping
• Deworming
• Flea and tick control
• Ear mite treatment
Source: www.spayhouston.org