By Sarah Whitman
Senior Staff Writer
ZEPHYRHILLS—Cindy Evers is an animal lover, so she doesn’t like seeing stray cats and dogs roaming the streets. She knows many of them aren’t spayed or neutered, meaning they will repopulate, only to go homeless or be put to sleep by animal services.
To help with the pet overpopulation problem, Evers recently opened Planned Pethood, a non-profit spay and neuter clinic at 5053 Gall Blvd.
“A lot of times people don’t spay and neuter because of the cost,” Evers said. “That’s why we’re offering the service at an affordable price. It’s such an important thing to have done.”
Evers lives on a farm in Dade City with her husband, five dogs, four horses and a cat. All of her animals were spayed or neutered as soon as they were of age. She’s always been a supporter of the cause but only this year was able financially to open a clinic.
“My father passed away and I came into an inheritance,” she said. “I decided this is what I would like to do. I wanted to help decrease the number of homeless animals.”
Planned Pethood is now open for appointments on Wednesdays and Saturdays. A rotating staff of highly qualified veterinarians and surgical technicians perform all procedures, so if there is enough demand, veterinarians may be scheduled for additional days.
Additional services are offered besides spay and neuter, including shots, deworming, heart worm testing and microchip placement. The cost to neuter dogs starts at $35, cats at $40. Costs for services and products like flea medications are based on the animal’s weight.
Evers wants pet owners to know veterinarian procedures don’t have to cost a huge amount.
“People think if it’s cheaper that must mean something is different or not as good,” Evers said. “The only difference is we aren’t doing this for profit. Our quality of care is the same, and maybe even better because our veterinarians are specialists. These procedures are what they do. They are surgeons specializing in spay and neuter.”
Pet owners Rob Douglas and Cynthia Mistretta stopped by Planned Pethood when they saw it was open. The couple said they would bring their dogs, a chihuahua and beagel, to the clinic.
“I love the name,” Mistretta said with a smile. “We saw the sign and wanted to see what it was.”
Evers showed the couple a price-list and explained the services offered.
“I like that it’s affordable and it’s local,” Douglas said.
Mary Brown, a Dade City resident, was also excited to see Planned Parenthood open. She has two dogs and considers them like children. She is now volunteering at the clinic.
“It’s important to take care of your pets and help control the pet population,” she said. “I support what they are doing here. I love volunteering.”
Evers said she has had several people inquire about volunteering and she has received donations from people in the community.
“People have brought in pet blankets and cat litter,” she said. “People are really supportive of what we are doing. After we get settled, we’ll be open to more volunteers.”
Evers said she thinks most people want to spay or neuter their animals, but worry about fitting the price into their budget. She thinks the more options people have, and the more they know about the consequences of letting pets go without being fixed, the more the situation will improve. She hopes the opening of Planned Parenthood will prevent needless animal suffering.
“There just so many strays running around and they will keep multiplying,” she said. “There aren’t enough shelters to house these animals. There aren’t enough people willing to adopt them. Overpopulation is a real problem. That’s why I wanted to open this clinic.”
Planned Pethood price list
- Male dog neuter Female dog spay
- Up to 10 lbs – $35 $50
- Up to 39 lbs – $45 $60
- Up to 69 lbs – $55 $70
- Up to 99 lbs – $70 $90
- Up to 150 lbs – $85 $105
- Male cat neuter – $40 Female cat spay – $45
