JACKSON, Wyo. — At inception, PAWS of JH’s mission was to ensure that all shelter pets were spayed and neutered before they were adopted out into the community. We funded the spay/neuter initiative at the Jackson/Teton Animal Shelter until they were able to raise the funds to cover the procedures. Once that happened, PAWS turned our attention to encouraging people to spay and neuter their own pets to reduce the number of pets being relinquished at the shelter. In 2008, PAWS launched our free spay/neuter voucher program in Teton County, WY, and in 2011 we expanded the program to include Teton Valley, ID and Star Valley, WY.
PAWS Spay/neuter program has had a dramatic impact at our local animal shelter. For instance, when we started the program, the shelter had an average of 650-700 pets moving through the shelter in any given year. Within 2-years of launching, the shelter population dropped to 453 and in 2020 there were less than 100 homeless pets that came through the Jackson/Teton County Animal Shelter.
In 2020, we spayed/neutered more than 1,100 pets at a cost of $85,000. The average voucher costs for PAWS is $75, which is a deep discount from retail veterinary prices. It’s an expensive program, but the demand for these services remains high. We are processing 2-3 voucher applications every day. We are encouraged by the interest in these communities from people who want to do the right thing for their pets.
Check out PAWS Spay/Neuter Reel and PAWS through Old Bill’s!
