KAMSACK - A Kamsack veterinarian wants to see more cats and dogs spayed and neutered, so she is encouraging people to sign up for the free program available at Kamsack Veterinary Clinic.
Dr. Ellen Amundsen-Case noted the free program is available for members of Cote First Nation band, through a partnership with the First Nation.
Cote First Nation said in a news release the initiative "aims to promote responsible ownership and help control the number of cats and dogs in the community."
To be eligible for the service, cats and dogs need to reside in the Cote First Nation community.
"We strongly encourage pet owners to take advantage of this opportunity, as it plays a vital role in maintaining the health and well-小蓝视频 of our pets while also helping control the pet population in the community," the First Nation said.
Band members can book appointments for their pets by contacting the Kamsack Veterinary Clinic directly, and indicating their contact information and their house number.
Cote First Nation pays for the cost for band members to have their dogs and cats spayed and neutered.
Amundsen-Case said the service has actually been running for the past 2.5 years, but she hopes to spread awareness so more people can have their pets spayed and neutered.
Originally the program was available only for dogs, but since last month cats were added as well.
As more people get their pets spayed and neutered, there will be fewer problems with overpopulation of dogs and cats on the First Nation.
Amundsen-Case noted the response to the program has been promising.
"Right now, the response is really good," she said. "[It] helps a lot of families who maybe couldn't afford to pay for a spay or neuter [of their pets] themselves... [And,] they don't have to worry about dealing with lots of puppies and kittens, trying to find homes and trying to feed them all."
Lisa Tourangeau, with Cote First Nation Public Works, said the First Nation's chief and council, and director of operations first came up with the idea of working with local vets to have animals spayed and neutered.
She noted more First Nations should help with the pet population in their communities.
The leadership is glad to see the service has been such a success.
"The leaders are happy to help their community members with this service," Tourangeau said.
