NOTE: This press release is from 2012. As of 2016, AngelDogs Foundation no longer exists.

Thanks to a generous grant from the California Community Foundation, AngelDogs Foundation has launched “Canine Companions” in Los Angeles County, including the Santa Clarita Valley. Qualified low-income pet owners are eligible to receive a free spay/neuter surgery for a dog of any size on the AngelDogs Foundation mobile clinic, which hosts a location at Backwoods Inn in Canyon Country the first three Wednesdays of each month.

“The economy has made it very challenging for many people to be able to afford spay or neuter and abide by the Los Angeles County ordinance to have their pets fixed,” said Lisa Tipton, director of AngelDogs Foundation. “We are very grateful to the California Community Foundation for allowing us to help the pet owners that really need it the most.”

Qualifications for Canine Companions includes proof of low-income status such as government assistance (unemployment, disability, welfare, Medi-Cal), including seniors over 60 on Social Security. The AngelDogs Foundation call center will pre-qualify pet owners upon scheduling an appointment. Physical proof of low-income status is required at time of spay/neuter appointment.

Statistics indicate that 4 to 6 million homeless dogs and cats are killed at United States shelters every year. That number is not only heartbreaking, it’s expensive. In California alone, $300 million taxpayer dollars are spent catching, housing and disposing of unwanted companion animals.

“Spaying and neutering pets is the proven solution to reducing the pet overpopulation problem. The California Community Foundation Canine Companions grant will allow us to spay or neuter 146 dogs,” Tipton said. “Short-term, based on predicted reproduction rates, that means 1,460 dogs will be prevented from entering the shelter system, becoming strays or worse. Long-term, that number increases to tens of thousands.”

For schedule information, visit www.angeldogsfoundation.org. For information on qualifying for Canine Companions or to schedule an appointment, call (888) 504-SPAY (7729).