The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) of Wake County is a privately run, non-profit organization that relies on volunteers and is dedicated to helping homeless animals; its goal is to not only give as many animals a home as they can, but also to educate the community about responsible pet ownership.
The SPCA would not be able to meet its goals without help from volunteers.If anyone is interested in volunteering one needs to attend a basic orientation to learn about the various jobs from puppy butlering to bunny buddies.
“My favorite part is seeing all of the animals and all of the love that everyone gives to them. It’s wonderful how many volunteers sign up every day. I know that the animals are in a great environment, and that makes my day,” said Leah Jamison, senior.
If interested in adopting a pet, one should visit the animal shelter where matchmakers and SPCA staff will help find the perfect match for the individual adopting.
“I go to the SPCA about every two weeks. My favorite part is playing with all the puppies. I got my old dog from the SPCA. He was part of a litter that was all named after cereal, so I shortened AppleJack to AJ,” said Joyce Chou, senior.
Not only does the SPCA work to find homes for animals through their adoption center but also to prevent unwanted pets by emphasizing the importance of spaying and neutering pets. The SPCA teaches that spaying and neutering are necessary to prevent pet overpopulation. Since 1990, the SPCA has vowed to spay and neuter all animals that enter their facility before they are adopted instead of relying on the owner.
“I feel like it needs to be done. You shouldn’t provide the chance for more unwanted pets to come into the world. I see the ones at the SPCA, and they have so much trouble finding a home that it would break my heart to find more homeless animals in there just because someone didn’t bother to spay or neuter their pet,” said Jamison.
The SPCA’s goal in the future is to expand the spay and neuter program by educating the public on its importance and by providing the program for people on government assistance.
Athens Drive Key Club has started an SPCA donation fundraiser for the 2013-2014 school year. The club asks that students bring in whatever they can to help animals in need. The most needed items are kitten food and weight control cat food, but they also need health items, such as hand sanitizer, hand soap, dishwashing soap, bleach, laundry detergent and paper towels. With these items donated, the SPCA can spend their money on other important items, such as medicine for the animals.
“The fact that Key Club itself is a club committed to helping people, our decision to work with the SPCA this year is really groundbreaking for us. The reason I say this is because we are not only looking to help the human population but also animals. I love that we are having the opportunity to offer our service to such a wonderful organization and expand what we do to our entire community,” said President of Key Club, Shivali Patel, senior.
