Dozens of canines, cats get shots, find homes

DeSoto Animal Services’ Dog Days of Summer event was a big success, with 124 human attendees and 88 animals — many of the latter there for vaccines and microchipping, department director Monica Mock and assistant Frank Rainey report.

“We had nine adoptions — six dogs and three kittens,” Mock said.

She hopes the event can become a twice-yearly effort to boost chances of homes for shelter animals.

She and Rainey said 39 dogs and seven cats received the 3:1 vaccine; 52 dogs and four cats got microchipping; 36 dogs and four cats got testing for canine heartworm and feline leukemia and immunodeficiency; and, with the help of veterinarian John Loftin, rabies vaccine was administered to 44 dogs and two cats.

Dog Days was held July 20 at the county shelter at 1251 Humane Way in the Nesbit community.

The services were available at discounted rates, “but we still took in $1,380, and our costs were $1,020,” said Mock. “It was a good day for us and all for all the pets.”

County officials were pleased.

“We’d be happy just to break even,” said County Administrator Vanessa Lynchard, “and the turnout was better than expected.”

To aid the department and its critter constituents, the DeSoto Board of Supervisors this week authorized board attorney Tony Nowak to work on a contract with Mississippi State University for spay-neutering of shelter animals awaiting adoption.

Under the arrangement that taps MSU veterinary students, dogs and cats at the county shelter “will be spayed and neutered before they go out the door,” at a cost of about $13 per animal, said Mock. The normal cost is about $40.

“This means one less expense for people to adopt an animal, and it’s the responsible thing for the county to do,” Mock said.

For more information on pet adoptions and other animal services functions, call 662-469-8004.