PetSmart Charities and the ASPCA reach out to Humane Alliance

PetSmart Charities® and the ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) have announced that they each will pledge $2.6 million to Humane Alliance in 2011 as part of a five-year commitment totaling $5.2 million to increase affordable spay/neuter services across the United States and prevent the births of millions of pets for whom there are no homes.

This funding will help 80 low-cost, high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter clinics to open across the U.S. Combined with the nearly 70 Humane Alliance clinic already open, the clinics will provide up to 800,000 sustainable spay/neuter surgical slots, preventing an estimated 11 million births through 2013.

“PetSmart Charities is committed to this partnership with Humane Alliance because we know that the Humane Alliance model for effective, affordable spay/neuter services works,” said Susana Della Maddalena, executive director of PetSmart Charities, Inc. “Preventing the birth of millions of puppies and kittens who are unwanted or don’t have homes is key to ending the tragedy of euthanasia, a problem that is greatly underestimated in the United States. We want to help send a clear message that spaying and neutering pets saves lives, and also ensure that affordable services are available.”

“Humane Alliance is the gold standard when it comes to successful high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter,” said Julie Morris, senior vice president of Community Outreach for the ASPCA. “Replicating their model program in cities across the country will help us to make real, measurable progress in the fight against pet homelessness and overpopulation.”

The $5.2 million in funding will be distributed during the next five years to help create thousands of sustainable spay/neuter surgical slots through capacity-building grants and training programs for veterinarians and clinic staff. PetSmart Charities and the ASPCA recognize that adoption alone will not solve the problem of homeless-pet overpopulation.

In the U.S. annually, an estimated 4 million pets are euthanized simply because they don’t have homes. Last year, PetSmart Charities provided more than $8.2 million for spay/neuter efforts nationwide and remains committed to expanding such services for years to come.

In addition to its support of the Humane Alliance, PetSmart Charities has provided more than $5.9 million in grant funding in support of 92 projects to start or expand spay/neuter clinics. Last year, the ASPCA provided more than $4.9 million to support community efforts to reduce the numbers of animals at risk around the country.

The ASPCA has a deep commitment to Humane Alliance, and the Asheville community in North Carolina, where Humane Alliance is based. Asheville is one of 10 ASPCA Partnership Communities and Humane Alliance has been instrumental in piloting ASPCA programs related to feral cats and effective spay/neuter mapping mechanisms which will benefit the county.

“PetSmart Charities and the ASPCA have been instrumental to the success of Humane Alliance,” said Humane Alliance Executive Director Quita Mazzina. “Our continued partnership means that we can continue to provide the spay/neuter services that pets desperately need, as well as the high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter technique training for the veterinary community so that even more pets are sterilized every year.”

Humane Alliance seeks to mentor organizations to open and operate strategically placed low-cost, high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter clinics across the nation. Humane Alliance operates a National Spay/Neuter Response Team (NSNRT), which has already trained 79 organizations to replicate this model.

About PetSmart Charities®
Established in 1994, PetSmart Charities, Inc. is an independent, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that creates and supports programs that save the lives of homeless pets, raise awareness of companion animal welfare issues and promote healthy relationships between people and pets. The largest funder of animal-welfare efforts in North America, PetSmart Charities has provided $110 million in grants and programs benefiting animal-welfare organizations and, through its in-store adoption program, helped save the lives of more than 4 million pets. To learn more about how PetSmart Charities is working toward its Vision of a lifelong, loving home for every pet, visit petsmartcharities.org or call 1-800-423-PETS.

About the ASPCA®
Founded in 1866, the ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) is the first humane organization established in the Americas and serves as the nation’s leading voice for animal welfare. One million supporters strong, the ASPCA’s mission is to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States. As a 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit corporation, the ASPCA is a national leader in the areas of anti-cruelty, community outreach and animal health services. The ASPCA, which is headquartered in New York City, offers a wide range of programs, including a mobile clinic outreach initiative, its own humane law enforcement team, and a groundbreaking veterinary forensics team and mobile animal CSI unit. For more information, please visit www.aspca.org.

About Humane Alliance
Humane Alliance of WNC, Inc. began as a small spay/neuter clinic in Asheville, North Carolina in 1994. To date, April 2009, we have surgically sterilized more than 195,000 companion animals in Western North Carolina. We know that spaying and neutering is a key component in the fight against pet overpopulation. Sterilizing cats and dogs means fewer animals will crowd the shelter system and fewer animals will be euthanized. Reducing strain on the shelter system also allows shelters to devote more resources to each animal - increasing each animal's chance for a positive outcome.