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Grant To Pay For Pit Bull Sterilizations

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SUNCOAST NEWS STAFF

Published: January 30, 2008

NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. - NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. - A $10,000 grant will go toward rebates on the costs to spay or neuter up to 200 pit bulls, in conjunction with Spay Day USA in February.

The funds will also help educate residents about pet adoption, Rosemary Lyons, education coordinator for Pasco County Animal Services, explained in a press release.

Pit bull owners can receive $40 off the cost of the surgery to spay or neuter their pets.

The average cost of the surgery at area low-cost clinics is $80, according to Lyons. Larger pit bulls may cost more.

Pasco Animal Welfare Society will be the local site for the pit bull operations. PAWS is located at 11720 U.S. 19, Port Richey.

For more information call 727-819-1910, or go online at http://www.pawsfl.com/.

Pit bulls account for a large number of the dogs in public shelters and are one of the breeds least likely to be adopted, Lyons explained.

"The sad reality is that most people do not want to adopt these dogs because they are afraid of them," she said.

Other times pit bulls might be stolen as the breed of choice for dog fighting.

Additionally, homeowners may face higher insurance premiums or denial of coverage when owning certain breeds of dogs.

PetSmart Charities provide the money to a federation of Pasco and Hernando groups, including the Coalition for Animal Welfare/West Central Florida, the county Animal Services division and the Friends of the Pasco County Library System.

Since 1994, PetSmart Charities has helped save the lives of more than 3.2 million homeless pets, Executive Director Susana Della Maddalena said. With support from PetSmart Inc., the charity has given more than $52 million to animal welfare programs.

To learn more, go online to the PetSmart Charities Web site, or call 1-800-423-PETS.

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