OCHS opens new Animal Support Center with help from ASPCA
The center will be a dedicated spay and neuter clinic as well as a transportation hub for shelter animals in the region.
STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – Working in animal rescue is hard.
Not just for the effort that goes into helping the animals.
But the mental toll it takes when an animal can’t be helped.
That’s what motivated Dr. Jaime Smith to become the Medical Director for the new Oktibbeha County Humane Society Spay and Neuter Clinic.
“I had to turn down patients regularly, and it broke my heart,” Dr. Smith said. “So, I really wanted to find a different avenue to where I could actually help more pets that need us.”
The center was built using private funding and a $900,000 grant from the ASPCA.
Oktibbeha County Humane Society is able to offer affordable spaying and neutering partly through a Banfield Foundation grant.
Andrea Spain, the Small Mercies Animal Rescue director said this center is going to be a positive impact in the community.
“This is the building that’s going to make the huge difference,” Spain said. “Because people in the community are going to be able to afford to bring their animals for a spay and neuter.”
Karen Walsh, the ASPCA Animal Relocation senior director said this center is important for those that can’t afford animal care.
“For some people, their pets are all they have,” Walsh said. “And having the right resources to take proper care of their pet is really important to people, regardless of their income.”
The Animal Support Center also hosts the VanLandingham Kennel Facility.
A place to house animals before they can be taken to areas where they are more likely to be adopted.
Walsh said relocation helps the morale of shelters and humane societies.
“Relocation brings hope to the shelter employees and to the animals that are there,” Walsh said. “It gives them different opportunities.”
Spain said all of the work is because of the people at OCHS.
“That’s because of OCHS and all of the people who work here,” Spain said. “The transport team is extraordinary.”
Walsh said the people who work at the humane society make it special.
“Sheltering is not about the building,” Walsh said. “It’s about the people that are in the shelter and the work that they do. And I think that that really shines through here in Starkville, Mississippi. That this group of people doing this work really makes a difference for the community and for Mississippi as a whole.”
Spain said people like her do this work for the love of the animals.
“Just decrease a little bit of suffering each day,” Spain said. “There’s so much of it here. And so it’s just about that. This isn’t going to be solved by somebody swooping in and one big gesture. It’s like small everyday mercies that we take.”
In addition to spaying and neutering, the Animal Support Center will also offer some low-cost veterinary services.
Some funding for the animal transport program comes from PetSmart Charities.
The ASPCA also gifted OCHS with a $100,000 grant to help run the facilities.
