Sylvia Cole/Rocky View Publishing

The Wild Rose Humane Society is hoping to partner with local veterinarians to provide subsidized spay and neuter services for pets whose families can't afford to sterilize their animals.

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Local humane society offers subsidized sterilization

The Wild Rose Humane Society (WRHS) is hoping to partner with area veterinary clinics to offer a Spay and Neuter Subsidy Program to qualifying applicants, said WRHS spokesperson Warren Wright of Didsbury.

The program will be open to residents of Airdrie, Crossfield, Carstairs, Didsbury, Olds, Sundre and the surrounding rural areas.

Eligible candidates can receive a subsidy of up to 80 per cent towards the cost of sterilizing their pet, said Wright.

“We’re launching the Spay and Neuter Subsidy Program in the hope that it will reduce the number of unwanted pets born every year,” he said.

“We’re aiming to reduce the overwhelming pressure on local animal shelters where these pets inevitably end up.”

The program is intended to assist families and individuals who might be able to afford day-to-day costs of owning a pet, but struggle to pay the one-off surgical fee of sterilizing their pet, he said.

Applicants will be screened to ensure their household incomes warrant the grant of a subsidy to spay or neuter a pet.

Applications for the program will open on March 1 and subsidies will be given on a first-come, first-served basis.

“Once the annual budget for the program has been exhausted, Wild Rose Humane Society will close the program for its fiscal year, with plans to reopen in 2014, said Wright.

For more information on the program, how to apply, to make a donation, or how to volunteer with Wild Rose Humane Society, visit www.wildrosehumane.ca