The Humane Society of the United States estimates that animal shelters care for 6-8 million cats and dogs every year in the United States, of whom approximately 3-4 million are euthanized. 

This statistic equates to 10,000 deaths per day. Adoption, while important, is not the answer to this situation. Controlling overpopulation is the absolute key to striking a balance between the number of animals who need homes and the number of homes available to adopt deserving companion animals.

Mission Statement:  Spay Neuter Illinois PetS’ (DBA SNIPS NFP) mission is to “provide low-cost spay/neuter, education, and community services as a means to reduce pet overpopulation and improve animal welfare.”

SNIPS is a 501(c)(3) public charity founded to impact animal overpopulation in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, Illinois, with services available to the public and to partner organizations. SNIPS will recruit and organize volunteer veterinarians to provide low-cost or free spay/neuter services to those who could otherwise not afford veterinary care.
 
SNIPS plans to offer monthly spay/neuter events to be held at veterinary hospitals owned by volunteer veterinarians.  Volunteer licensed veterinarians will administer pre-operative examinations, perform spay/neuter surgeries, and provide post-operative instructions to pet caregivers in accordance with Illinois law.

SNIPS will provide low-cost or free spay/neuter services to those who could otherwise not afford veterinary care for their cats and dogs.   Additional service offerings include low-cost vaccinations, community outreach programs including humane education and trap-neuter-return classes, and a pet food pantry for needy families.  SNIPS’ primary service area will be the northwest suburbs of Chicago, Illinois, specifically near Elgin. SNIPS’ services will be available to the public and to other not-for-profit animal shelters and rescue organizations.

Initially, SNIPS will recruit volunteer veterinarians to perform surgeries at our high-volume spay/neuter clinics.   These are scheduled events where there might be as many as four volunteer veterinarians, four veterinary technicians and ten laypersons to handle the high volume of animals being brought in that day.   Clients able to pay $25.00 for the spay/neuter surgery will be asked to, but the service will be discounted or offered free of charge to those who cannot afford to pay.

SNIPS can sterilize up to 100 cats at one of these spay/neuter clinics and can manage two events per month when running at full capacity.  Spay/neuter clinics for dogs will be introduced at a later time, and based on our veterinary advisor’s recommendations, may be performed on different days from feline surgeries.   The number of dogs that can be sterilized on a given day will depend on the size and gender of the dogs. 

SNIPS will offer high-volume vaccine clinics for dogs and cats, during which veterinarians will administer vaccines for rabies and distemper for a nominal fee (e.g., $5.00 each).  These high-volume vaccine clinics will be advertised to the public with reservations taken in advance.  At vaccine clinics, 300 animals can be serviced in an eight-hour day.  These events would be self-funded, as the nominal fees for the vaccines exceed the amount of the vaccine and syringe at cost, and veterinarians will be volunteering their time.

Once adequate funding is secured, SNIPS will hire a staff veterinarian who will perform routine spay/neuter surgeries, vaccinations and wellness checks.  SNIPS will also continue offering high volume spay/neuter and vaccine clinics.