Wally's Friends' work is not just about ensuring people have low-cost vet options, said Executive Director Eileen Price. The nonprofit also works to provide the highest quality care, which often means fuzzy blankets for tired dogs fresh from surgery.After 10 years and over 100,000 animals spayed or neutered, the staff and volunteers of Wally's Friends know there's still a lot of work left to be done.
That's why the nonprofit organization is celebrating World Spay Day with a fundraiser, dinner and silent auction Tuesday, Feb. 28, in support of Wally's goal of reducing animal overpopulation and the number of stray cats and dogs that must be euthanized every year.
"We were only doing around 5,000 animals during our first couple of years," said Eileen Price, founder and director of Wally's Friends. "But now, we spay and neuter around 12,000."
Wally's provides low-cost spaying, neutering and vaccinations for pets in the community. Many who stop by the office in Red Bank have never taken their animals to a vet before due to cost, Price said. Whereas a spay/neuter operation could cost several hundred dollars at a typical vet facility, Wally's charges $40-$80 for a typical procedure, and grants also enable Wally's to, at times, offer its services for free.
The goal is to prevent the suffering that animals who have no one to care for them can face.
Formerly a professional ballerina, Price has had a longtime love of animals. After she retired from ballet, she vowed to work tirelessly to stop the needless suffering of homeless animals. The research she did indicated aggressive spaying and neutering practices were the best way to stop the thousands of animals euthanized every year.
"Spay Day is designed to put a spotlight on the epidemic," she said.
The issue of overpopulation is a struggle in any large community, said Price, and will always be a challenge. However, in the decade Wally's Friends has been open, the change has been noticeable.
"When we opened, for the first few years, we saw huge numbers of pregnant dogs that weren't cared for," Price said. "We're getting the public to understand it's healthiest for animals to get spayed before five months [old]."
Wally's Friends also works with local organizations to practice TNR, or "trap, neuter, release," on feral cats to ensure the community's population doesn't get out of hand.
The fundraiser costs $40 per person and features catered food, live music, a comedian and silent auction, and is being held at The Venue Chattanooga. For tickets and information, call 877- 9966 or visit wallysfriends.com/events-final.htm.
Email Shane Foley at sfoley@timesfreepress.com