FiXiT Receives Targeted Spay and Neuter Grant from PetSmart Charities(R)
Grant Will Be Used to Spay and Neuter 360 Dogs on St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands.
- (1888PressRelease) June 05, 2013 - VIRGINIA BEACH, VA- FiXiT, an organization dedicated to ending the overpopulation of animals, has announced they have received a $17,840 PetSmart Charities® grant to support the spaying and neutering of 360 dogs on St. Croix in the United States Virgin Islands. The grant supports one of FiXiT's primary programs for eliminating pet overpopulation: The Final Fix.
The Final Fix is a case study in a closed population to demonstrate the effectiveness of FiXiT's strategy of targeted messaging and incentive-based promotions in increasing demand for spay and neuter in hard to reach pet owners.
FiXiT began the project in 2010. At the time, only 34 percent of the pet owners on island had spayed or neutered their cat or dog. Since that time, FiXiT has been able to increase demand for spay and neuter by 1000 percent on the island. The goal with Final Fix is to continue to provide services to the island in order to completely eliminate companion animal overpopulation on St. Croix.
The program focus of the grant will be to reduce the number of dogs breeding in the island's two largest towns: Christiansted and Frederiksted. These two towns are among the top 5 areas on the island for most animals abandoned to the island's animal shelter. Spay and neuter surgeries will be provided by both private veterinary clinics and special events held in a mobile spay and neuter van.
Nearly every resident comes to one of these two towns on a regular basis for work, food, or entertainment. Targeting these two areas with marketing materials in these two highly visible hotspots for shelter intake will extend the reach for promoting spay and neuter to the residents.
"We are grateful to PetSmart Charities® for giving us the opportunity to make a lasting impact in areas that will have the most impact for animal welfare, public health, and the towns' public appeal," said Dr. Kellie Heckman, Co-Founder of FiXiT. "This grant will allow us to continue our mission of eliminating pet overpopulation on St. Croix and using what we have learned to eliminate pet overpopulation throughout the United States."
To learn more about The Final Fix, please visit http://fixit-foundation.org/our-fix/final-fix/.
About FiXiT
FiXiT is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt nonprofit based in Norfolk, VA that was formed in response to the death of millions of cats and dogs every year in U.S. shelters. Current low cost spay/neuter efforts have placed us on a plateau with minimal change in the rate of euthanasia over the past 10 years. They knew that a new strategy was needed to stop this needless loss of life, one that was informed by strategic research and one that responds to the different perspectives of pet owners across the country. Visit http://fixit-foundation.org to learn more.
About PetSmart Charities®
PetSmart Charities, Inc. is a nonprofit animal welfare organization that saves the lives of homeless pets. More than 400,000 dogs and cats find homes each year through our adoption program in all PetSmart stores and our signature adoption events. PetSmart Charities grants more money to directly help pets in need than any other animal welfare group in North America, with a focus on funding spay/neuter programs that help communities solve pet overpopulation. PetSmart Charities is a 501(c)(3) organization, legally independent from PetSmart, Inc.
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