# Dogs & Cats Spayed/NEUTERED

2021 has been quite a year for SNIP Collier. We opened up our first low-cost clinic in Collier County, on Davis Blvd in Naples. To date this year we have spayed/neutered 1,921, up from 754 in 2020 when we did not have our own clinic, and also fixed 950 cats under our SNIP Families for Ferals TNR Program. The SNIP Clinic has enabled us to make an even bigger impact that we could have imagined. The clinic has been so successful that we are currently working on a capital campaign to raise money for a second SNIP Collier Low-Cost Clinic in Immokalee, FL, where the need is greatest. We are already working on the site development plan for this larger campus, which will also include a surgical center and educational program. As SNIP has grown, our mission is still to control overpopulation, so that otherwise healthy animals are not euthanized. However, we have been so successful since Tom began his spay & neuter initiative in 2015, that we are now expanding our mission. The SNIP Collier mission is to end the suffering and euthanasia of cats and dogs in Collier County, FL through spay and neuter, and affordable medical and preventative care.   

In addition to the work we do in the clinic, we are still out in the field every day helping animals in need. This includes transporting strays to Collier Domestic Animal Services, picking up pregnant moms, or moms and puppies, and bringing them into a foster program with our partner Gulf Coast Humane Society in Fort Myers, fighting for proper enforcement on cruelty, neglect and breeding, and educating the community about how to properly care for their pets. In addition, we had multiple special rescues this year of animals who were in very bad condition. We took each one in under our Helping Paws Medical Fund, got them all of the medical care and TLC they needed, and eventually played matchmaker and found forever homes for each one of them. Just recently we helped two very special animals. Iris is a sweet little kitten who was found as a stray in pretty bad shape, including a badly infected eye. We rescued her and one of our incredible volunteers, Tricia, fostered her. Iris required months of care before she was well enough to have her eye removed. Iris is now a foster fail and is healthy, happy and home with Tricia and her family. We got a call in October about a dog hit by a car. Through our network of volunteers, we got her to our clinic as quickly as we could to stabilize her. It was determined that she had multiple pelvic fractures and a hip out of socket. With the help of the SNIP Collier Helping Paws Medical Fund, Penelope had hip surgery and is recovering in foster care with Tom and doing amazing. She even has a meet and greet coming up for a forever home.   

SNIP is doing big things and we couldn’t be making the difference that we do without the help of our supporters, just like Gulf Coast Runners. GCR has been an incredible partner since our inception in 2015 and just hosted our 6th Annual SNIP Collier Memorial Day 5K. We thank you for your unwavering support as we fight to end the suffering and overpopulation of dogs and cats in Collier County.