By Cathy Higgins
BAY MINETTE, Ala. — Bay Minette pet owners now have the opportunity to get their pet spayed or neutered at a discount price, thanks to funding the Baldwin County Humane Society (BARC!) received from PetSmart Charities.
According to BARC Executive Director Sonja Presley, the $55,000 grant will enable 1,000 pets to “get fixed.” Pet owners need only pay $7 out of pocket per pet.
All they have to do is purchase the discount vouchers from Bay Minette Animal Clinic, located at 1900 Hand Ave., North Baldwin Animal Shelter, located at 1700 McMeans Ave. or the BARC! Office in Fairhope. Once there, they need to show a photo identification proving their Bay Minette residency.
“If they’re a student, their student ID,” Presley said in a recent interview, “or a passport or driver’s license.”
Pet owners also need to show proof of annual income, which needs to be less than $30,000.
“That can be as simple as a W2 form, a Social Security letter, a Medicaid letter or a disability letter,” Presley said. “The whole process should be real simple.”
Once eligibility is established, pet owners can purchase as many vouchers as they need for their pets.
“There’s no limit of how many vouchers they can buy,” Presley said.
When the vouchers are in hand, pet owners have plenty of options for the actual operation.
“Once you buy the voucher, there are 19 different veterinarians in Baldwin County participating in the program,” Presley said.
That includes Bay Minette Animal Clinic and Biles Animal Hospital, both in Bay Minette, as well as 17 additional participants scattered throughout the county.
According to Presley, application for the grant was a four-month process. But it was worthwhile.
“It’s the largest grant in our 32-year history,” she said.
The funding is expected to last throughout the year.
“The grant concludes in November or if we deplete the funds before then,” Presley said. “But we definitely want people to act now.”
