Grant will let county animal shelter spay and neuter on site
The Morgan County Animal Control shelter in Hartselle has received a $10,000 grant to open a procedure room so it can perform spay and neuter surgeries on site.
The procedure room will make it easier for the animal shelter and the veterinarian who performs many of these surgeries, said Morgan County Animal Control Director Darren Tucker.
As it stands, many of the animals that are selected for adoption are taken to the office of veterinarian Chuck Gill in Hartselle for surgery because the adopter doesn’t have a regular vet. It will be easier having the procedures done on the animals without having to transport them, Tucker said. In addition, some of these animals may have parasites, kennel cough or other illnesses lurking that could infect the animals brought in by Gill’s regular clientele.
“It helps his practice out and it helps us make sure those animals are going to have that procedure done,” Tucker said. “When you adopt an animal, you pay a fee, and you agree to have the animal spayed or neutered. You sign a contract, and we make the appointment with your vet. But we also follow up with them.
But this way, with the procedure room, we make sure it gets done. If it’s done in our facility, we know it’s being done.” The grant came from Alabama’s Mountains, Rivers & Valleys Resource Conservation & Development Council. The council says its mission is to improve the quality of life of res- idents through reasonable and responsible protection of the natural and human resources of the Tennessee Valley.
The $10,000 will go a long way toward preparing the room, Tucker said, but more money – between $5,000 and $10,000 – likely will be needed from the Morgan County Commission. Tucker hopes it will be closer to $5,000.
The grant must pay for medical monitors, an exam table that can be raised and lowered, lamps, gowns, gloves and any other needs, he said.
“We will be on board with whatever he thinks he will need,” Morgan County Commission Chairmen Ray Long said. “He does a great job for the shelter and he works with us so we will definitely make sure he gets what he needs.” Long said the procedure room will be a great asset not only to the vet but to the county and all the people who want to adopt pets from the shelter.
Tucker emphasized that all donations go to the care of the animals and not to administration.
“Our goal is to get (the animals) off the concrete and onto the grass as quick as possible,” Tucker said. “We work with rescue groups and all of that and try to get as many adopted as we can. We want to get the animals out of here, so we work with rescues and fosters.” He said one rescue group recently came through and took 10 or 11 animals from the shelter in one day.
“If we adopted out 10 animals in a week, we’d be turning cartwheels, but we may go two weeks without adopting one out. So, we rely heavily on these rescue groups.”
