You love animals.
You love helping them.
But you hate writing checks.
Guess what? The Sacramento Area Animal Coalition (SAAC) has a new online donation system!
Now you can quickly donate online without having to dig out your checkbook (or try and remember your PayPal password).
January 13, 2017
SACRAMENTO, CA – Beginning Saturday, January 14, animal lovers in Sacramento and Yolo Counties can reserve low-cost spay and neuter surgeries for their dogs and cats during Spay Day Sacramento 2017.
WHAT: Spay Day Sacramento is an annual event run by Sacramento Area Animal Coalition (SAAC), an all-volunteer nonprofit committed to eliminating local pet overpopulation. Since 2000, nearly 10,000 dogs and cats have been spayed or neutered through the program.
WHY: Each pet receives a spay or neuter surgery, permanent microchip identification and vital vaccinations. An appointment and proof of income are required. (Limit: two dogs or cats per household)
WHO: Sacramento and Yolo County residents who receive public assistance and/or have an annual household income of $35,000 or less are eligible to participate. Priority is given to pitbulls and Chihuahuas.
HOW MUCH: Just $15 per cat and $20 per dog.
WHERE: Spay and neuter surgeries will be provided at participating veterinary clinics and animal shelters on or around February 26, 2017.
HOW TO APPLY: Fill out our online request form and a volunteer will call you to schedule and appointment. Applying does not guarantee an appointment.
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If you had asked Jesse Sanchez of Woodland about his hopes and plans for 2016, it would not have included a puppy.
Only a few months prior, Mr. Sanchez and his family had adopted Dixie, an adult pit bull, from a rescue group in the Bay Area. Thinking Dixie was already spayed, the rescue sent her home with her new family. “We thought they would spay her, but she hadn’t gone into heat while at the rescue, and she had these scars across her abdomen,” Mr. Sanchez explains. It wasn’t until New Year’s Eve that the family realized something wasn’t quite right:
“She was going like she had to go to the restroom, and you see puppy legs coming out.”
Dixie was pregnant.
Jesse Sanchez holds his dog Dixie after her hours-long surgery on Spay Day Sacramento 2016.
Mr. Sanchez wasted no time. “We didn’t want that for her. She’s everything to our family. My kids love her, she loves my kids. She’s a good dog.”
He signed her up for an appointment on Spay Day Sacramento, an annual event coordinated by the Sacramento Area Animal Coalition (SAAC) for pet owners in Sacramento and Yolo counties. Through Spay Day Sacramento, families in need can get their pets altered for just $20 per dog and $15 per cat, all thanks to donors and sponsors who make cash contributions, as well as the vet clinics who volunteer to provide the surgeries.
Mr. Sanchez and his family knew that Dixie had been abused by her former owner, but only on Spay Day did it become apparent how much—the scars on her belly weren’t from a botched spay surgery: they were c-section scars. Dixie had been used as a breeder.
Because of all the scar tissue from her previous c-sections, Dixie’s spay surgery at the Sacramento SPCA required three veterinarians. It took two hours—about four times longer than it takes one veterinarian to perform a typical spay.
“Every year on Spay Day the Sacramento SPCA staff alters sixty or more dogs, which takes the entire day,” explains Alexis Raymond, SAAC President. “But they took the extra time to make sure that Dixie was well taken care of and would never have another litter. It shows how committed they are to helping animals and reducing pet overpopulation in our community.”
“Real skin and bones,” Mr. Sanchez recalls how Dixie looked during the adoption process. She had been found abandoned in the middle of nowhere, alone in a drainage canal. Mr. Sanchez and his wife were moved by her story and not intimidated by her appearance. “A lot of people judge her when they look at her until they get to meet her and touch her and pet her,” Mr. Sanchez explains. “She looks mean when you first see her, but she’s the biggest baby.”
Mr. Sanchez acknowledges the reality of taking on a dog with history: “She’s still a little timid, probably from when she was abused. Certain movements we can’t do real fast; she thinks we’re gonna hit her.”
When asked what would have happened without the spay/neuter opportunity from SAAC, Mr. Sanchez resolutely replies, “We would have had to take her and look for other resources to get her spayed.”
“When [my wife and I] saw Dixie’s profile online, we fell in love. We wanted to give her a better life.” And they have. They ensured that she won’t give birth to any more unwanted litters. They kept Malo, her final puppy, and have since watched Dixie blossom in a safe environment. “She always wants my attention,” Mr. Sanchez laughs. “Very playful, real quiet—she listens.”
Finally, in contrast to the pit bull’s oft-maligned image, they discovered she loves other dogs. Mr. Sanchez describes Dixie’s transformation with true joy and appreciation in his voice: “When she comes around other dogs, she just comes alive, like nothing ever happened.”
I always ask people to describe their pets in one word. Dixie’s?
“Precious,” Mr. Sanchez replies. “There’s more than one word, but if just one . . . precious.”
West Sacramento residents can now have their dogs spayed or neutered for just $15 through the Sacramento Area Animal Coalition (SAAC) Voucher Program.
Who is eligible?
What is provided?
Each pet will receive a voucher for spay or neuter surgery, which can be redeemed at a participating veterinary clinic. Limit four pets per household, dogs only.
How much does it cost?
Just $15 per dog, payable to the clinic at the time of surgery
HOW TO APPLY:
Call (916) 808-SPAY (7729) and leave a message OR apply online.
The West Sacramento vouchers are being funded thanks to 2016 Big Day of Giving contributions from private donors.
How can I help spread the word?
Download and share our informational fliers:
The BIG Day of Giving — a 24-hour online giving challenge to raise $6 million for 570 nonprofits in the Sacramento region — has been extended to 3 p.m. PT on Wednesday, May 4!
SAAC’s goal for the BIG Day of Giving is to raise $12,000 for our low-cost spay and neuter programs, which prevent thousands of unwanted puppies and kittens from being born and ending up in area shelters.
Please help us reach our Big Day of Giving goal and save animal lives! You can donate to SAAC here:
sacanimal.org/get-involved-with-saac/donate-to-saac
We will put any donations we receive before 3 p.m. on May 4 to good use spaying and neutering animals in Sacramento and Yolo Counties and preventing unwanted litters!
Please join us on Tuesday, May 3, as we seek to raise $12,000 for low-cost spay/neuter surgeries for dogs and cats.
By supporting SAAC, you will help to reduce the number of unwanted dogs and cats in our community who often end up in shelters.
You can donate on May 3, between midnight and 11:59 p.m., at:
https://bigdayofgiving.org/npo/sacramento-area-animal-coalition
And, you can even be a winner yourself!
Everyone who gives $50 or more to SAAC on May 3 will be entered into a drawing to win a “Companions and Coffee” gift basket, featuring Starbucks items, pet treats, and a $25 gift card courtesy of Incredible Pets.