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<br />COUNTYLINES <br />August 2005, Volume 31, No.8. <br />N. C. Association of County Commissioners <br /> <br />. CABARRUS COUNTY <br /> <br />SNIP (Spay/Neuter <br />Improvements for Pets) <br /> <br />Presented to: Director of Social Services James Cook, Economic Services <br />Program Administrator Trish Baker, and Adult and Family Services Program <br />Administrator James Polk <br /> <br />Low-income Cabarrus COWlty residents are now not only able to help themselves dur- <br />ing a visit to the Department of Social Services, but also help control the pet population. <br />As the cost of animal shelters and number of stray and abandoned animals eutha- <br />nized continued to rise - the COWlty'S rate of 28 animals killed per 1,000 residents was <br />almost double the national average - COWlty officials began to look for a humane solu- <br />tion. With help from the state's Spay/Neuter Program, Cabarrus COWlty was able to <br />achieve that with its own SNIP (Spay/Neuter Improvements for Pets) program. <br />The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services supplements the costs of a <br />low-income reimbursement program for spays and neuters in cities and counties through <br />special $10 "I CARE" license plate fees, a $1 rabies vaccination fee and volWltary "I <br />CARE" rabies tags. <br />Since individuals or families must receive one or more low-income public assis- <br />tance programs in order to qualify for the animal spay/neuter funds, the COWlty assigned <br />management of the SNIP program to its DSS, thereby creating an almost perfect blend <br />of services for low-income families and their pets. Participants are given either a $50 <br />spay/neuter voucher or a $60 spay/neuter/rabies vaccination voucher, redeemable at a <br />number of local veterinarian offices. <br />In addition to creating a more humane alternative to euthanasia, the potential savings <br />to the COWlty is great. According to an estimate from SpayUSA, a dog and a cat, left <br />Wlsprayed and Wl-neutered, can along with their offspring produce more than 133,000 <br />puppies and kittens over a six-year period. At a $75 per animal average, the cost for shel- <br />ter and euthanasia for 20 percent of that number reaches $1.9 million. From October 2004 <br />through May 2005, the COWlty DSS issued 118 vouchers - at a potential cost of $6,0 10. <br /> <br />C-l <br />