City puts no-cost spay program on temporary hold

The City of Calgary's animal services department has been forced to suspend its no-cost spay and neuter program for pets of low-income families to catch up on a backlog of applications.

685 free spay and neuter surgeries have been completed since the program was launched in October 2010. Low-income pet owners have to prove they are financially eligible to take part in the program.

Animal services currently has 200 applications to go through, but staff have been busy taking care of an influx of pets in the pound.

“We’ve got more animals in house than we typically have,” said Bruce. “We’re holding them longer, so that’s taking a lot more staff time away to care for them. It’s been a very busy summer.”

Read the full article in the Calgary Herald