The Hays/Stratton Spay and Neuter clinic at Pet Friends reopened in December after shutting its doors in mid-June due to a lack of funds and a part-time veterinarian to provide services.
“We’ve gotten some more funds and we found a wonderful vet,” said Aileen Bryson, the Pet Friends office manager. “The vet also works at the Monterey SPCA.”
The clinic has been offering spay and neuter services by appointment on Fridays and starting in mid-January will offer appointments on Thursdays.
“We’ve been open three weeks,” Bryson said on Dec. 21. “We were able to open earlier than we thought. We’ve been very busy – we are getting referrals from St. Francis in San Martin.”
In October, Bob Stratton, a Pet Friends board member who supported the long-term efforts to open the clinic, said that one of the biggest struggles has been finding a veterinarian who wants to spend a few days a week just on spaying and neutering who doesn’t have to travel long distances to work in Hollister. A vet who was working with the clinic before it closed temporarily in June had been traveling from the Bay Area, he said.
Pet Friends, which serves as a rescue shelter for dogs and cats that are available for adoption, had to subsidize the clinic services at a deficit of about $3,600 a month.
To open the clinic, the Pet Friends Spay and Neuter Steering Committee raised $52,000 to build the facility and cover initial costs. The clinic opened in June 2010 and was booked solid through August in the weeks after it opened.
Bryson said the clinic was able to reopen when they identified the vet and also because of donations. She said that the Paws to Light Up the Night, an annual holiday fundraiser hosted by Pet Friends in which community members can purchase a light in honor or memory of a loved one, will also support the clinic’s efforts.
The cost for spay and neuter is based on the weight of the animal. The price for dogs is $115-180, based on the size and whether the animal is male or female. Domestic cat spaying is $120 and domestic cat neutering is $80. A feral cat spaying is $60 and a feral cat neutering $45. Bryson said the clinic sees a mix of both domestic and feral cats.
Paws to Light Up the Night Sky
The lights on the 30-foot wire-frame tree at the Pet Friends Center will be viewable through Jan. 15. The tree overlooks the San Benito River and can be seen from Hwy. 156.
For a $10 donation a light will be lit. For a $25 donation, a light will be lit and donors will receive a handcrafted ornament specifically made for this fundraiser. The ornament represents the fact that pets leave paw prints on one’s heart, according to Pet Friends volunteers.
The lights purchased can be in memory of a beloved pet that shared their life with you, in honor of a current pet or person, or just to help the nonprofit.
Donations can be made online at www.petfriends.org or by calling 634-1191. New winter hours for Pet Friends are Tuesday-Friday, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday, from noon to 3 p.m., at 2975 Buena Vista Road, in Hollister. The Hays/Stratton Clinic spaying and neutering is available by appointment only.
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