Franklin County’s Planned Pethood Clinic Turns 20

Planned Pethood Clinic was founded by the Franklin County Humane Society Inc. in 1999 to reduce the numbers of animals taken to shelters and pounds or abandoned at dumpsters.  At that time 90% of animals taken to the County Animal Control facility were being killed. The Humane Society did not have the resources to open a shelter and decided to open a spay neuter clinic as the most effective way to stop the killing of so many animals at the Animal Control facility.  Planned Pethood Clinic was the second low cost spay neuter clinic to open in Virginia and opened to the public in July 2000.  Over 63,650 spay neuters have been provided at Planned Pethood Clinic since then .

Planned Pethood Clinic has been essential to the complete reversal of the fates of homeless animals in Franklin County along with the work of our Adoption Center. As the number of spay neuters and the numbers of animals taken in by our Adoption Center grew, the numbers of animals taken to Animal Control dropped. Now the Adoption Center takes in most of animals in need in Franklin County and works closely with Franklin County Animal Shelter staff (Animal Control) to save animals taken there.   

Humane Society Supervising Veterinarian and Medical Director Marybeth Chaconas and her veterinary staff provide spay neuter surgeries and wellness care for animals at our Adoption Center and for the pets of area residents.  Dr. Ginny Tatum recently joined Planned Pethood Clinic on Mondays and Fridays.

This month with funding support from a Walmart Community Grant,Planned Pethood Clinic will provide a special $20 spay/neuter surgery for 100 outside cats to celebrate the 20 year anniversary. This $20 special includes Outside Cat spay/neuter, post op pain injection, rabies vaccination and ear tip which is required to identify the cat as altered.

Our hope is this will encourage residents feeding outside cats to get the cats spayed, neutered and vaccinated.  This will reduce the numbers of kittens born each year to outside cats which overwhelm shelters every year. The Humane Society recommends that pets be altered by four months of age to prevent unplanned litters.  Kittens as young as four months and puppies as young as five months are old enough to produce their first litter just two months later. 

This special price is for outside cats in Franklin County.  Appointments are based on availability.  For more information or to schedule an appointment call 540-489-3491.

The Humane Society is asking for the community’s help by spaying/neutering their pets by 4 months of age, by not letting their pets roam freely, and by contacting the organization for help with animals that need spay/neuter or homes. The Humane Society does not receive any government funding and relies on donations, grants and fundraisers to provide services.