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January 6, 2006

Pawprints works to reduce animal overpopulation

By Rachel Kubicek The Tribune Star Fri Jan 06, 2006, 04:46 PM EST

COLUMBUS, Kan. — A large, gray Russian Blue cat slowly wakes from anesthesia after he is neutered.

Surrounding him are several other cats and a few dogs, waking from their groggy state after their own surgeries.

But this isn’t your typical animal hospital.

The surgeries were performed Thursday in the Pawprints on the Heartland’s traveling spay/neuter van. Pet owners can take their pets to the stops in Southeast Kansas by appointment, and have the animals spayed or neutered and vaccinated for rabies for a fee of $35.

Pawprints, a nonprofit group dedicated to controlling pet overpopulation, was started in 1999 by Joanne Wenzl and others associated with the Southeast Kansas Humane Society.

A single dog or cat and its offspring can eventually produce thousands of animals that can end up homeless, sick, killed by a vehicle or abused, Wenzl said.

According to the group’s mission statement, “The ultimate goal of Pawprints is to maintain a no-kill animal shelter and provide a loving home for every animal in the area.”

The van visits 17 sites each Tuesday and Thursday in Bourbon, Neosho, Crawford, Labette and Cherokee counties in Kansas. The van occasionally travels to Lamar, Mo.

On Thursday, while the van was stationed in Columbus, veterinarian Laura Morland, assisted by veterinarian technician Sue Eckhardt, spayed and neutered around 25 dogs and cats.

“We do surgeries similar as it would be in any hospital,” Morland said. “We use sterile equipment and sterile sutures, everything that is generally used in surgeries.”

The Pawprints van was purchased by the Bob Barker Foundation, and the interior was furnished and decorated by members of the Rinehart family of Pittsburg, who made the donation of almost $10,000 in the memory of their parents, Isabelle and Frank Rinehart, according to Wenzl.

Isabelle Rinehart loved animals, and took in and cared for many strays, Wenzl said.

“Our goal is to spay and neuter," she said. "It’s not to make money.”

Pawprints also receives grants and funding for large dogs so they can be spayed and neutered by veterinary clinics in conjunction with the organization, Wenzl said. The group hopes to expand its area of travel if more funding becomes available.

Rachel Kubicek writes for The Joplin (Mo.) Globe.

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