Mobile spay and neuter program could be suspended without more participation

Access to a mobile spay and neuter service provided by a Cedartown nonprofit, no-kill shelter could be suspended without more public interest — and the group’s founder feels the real problem is people don’t know the service is available.

The Cedartown Animal Rescue, Education, & Sterilization — or CARES — offers spay and neuter options that founder Jeanie Waddell says are less expensive than at a traditional veterinarian’s office. (Here's the Facebook link.)

This service is for anyone interested and is not limited to those living in Polk County, although, Waddell said, the service could end if not enough people use it.

The spay and neuter service is provided through the Atlanta Humane Society mobile surgical utility vehicle, which can perform the procedures on up to

30 animals per day.

Prices for spays are $60 for cats and $80 for dogs and neuters are $45 for cats and $70 for dogs. The cost includes an exam, surgery, micro-chip implantation and registration, and transportation to and from the mobile surgery unit.

Making sure your pets are spayed or neutered is helpful to the community, she said, because it de- creases the over-population of stray dogs and cats.

The mobile surgical unit comes to CARES about five times a year and can only keep returning if people sign up to fix their pets, she said. The group serves Chattooga, Haralson, Polk and Floyd animal shelters.

She said that people who refuse to fix their pets don’t understand that it results in unwanted pets in shelters which end up being euthanized.

The group dedicates a lot of its resources to finding homes for animals it rescues from shelters that are about to be put down.

The shelter has about 20-30 animals that need homes which can be viewed on their website or Facebook page. Waddell said she has as many as 60 in her care at one time. They also offer a foster option for those who can care for a pet temporarily until a permanent home can be found.