H.O.P.E. for Animals services dog breed, owners in need

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - It is one of the more popular breeds of dog and in recent years it has also been the one most commonly taken in and put down by animal shelters nationwide.

A Fort Wayne non-profit organization has been afforded the opportunity to help tackle the problem facing pit bulls.

According to Fort Wayne Animal Care and Control (ACC) , one-quarter of the dogs delivered to the agency are pit bull types.  About half of those animals originated from the zip code 46806 in Fort Wayne.

Peggy Bender with ACC’s education department said many animals collected from that segment of the community are often times not claimed by owners.

“[The dogs] come into us sick, they often come in in deplorable conditions and their temperaments are not sound,” Bender said.  “They end up needing to be euthanized.”

With that information in hand, H.O.P.E for Animals applied for a grant through PetSmart Charities to develop a spay/neuter program targeting the breed and the location most in need.

“These people want to take care of their animals; they love their animals, but a lot of times it’s just a financial need,” Megan Close, H.O.P.E. director of clinic operations said. “Sometimes it’s between feeding your family or taking care of your dog.  So, we are here to help those in need.”

H.O.P.E. has launched “Snip by Zip 46806,” which provides spaying/neutering, vaccinations including for rabies and parvo/distemper, microchipping and city registration for five dollars per dog.  Such services would cost around $150 at the low-cost clinic and even more at a private veterinarian.

The grant allows H.O.P.E. to provide the service to 1,000 pit bull type dogs on a first-come, first-served basis.

Close said giving a dog such care will help prevent over-population in the Fort Wayne shelter.

“They’re legal. They’re good to go.  They can just head right back home instead of going into the shelter,” she explained.

Officials at the non-profit have plans to develop a source of transportation aid to offer even more assistance for those taking part in the program.  A driver will pick up a dog for service, deliver it to the clinic for treatment and deliver it back home once it is ready.

ACC considers the organization’s efforts to be significantly beneficial to the Fort Wayne community and suggests the work should be utilized only by those in need of assistance.

“If you have finances and you can establish a relationship with your own veterinarian, that’s where you need to be but for areas where people are struggling, they don’t have the income, they don’t have the information, an organization like H.O.P.E. is wonderful to have,” Bender said.

Appointments for “Snip by Zip 46806” can be made by calling H.O.P.E. for Animals at (260) 420-7729.