In 1996 Montana was a “dark place” for dogs and cats.
Uncontrolled breeding causing serious pet overpopulation problems was the norm. The only help available: a few discount spay/neuter certificates in some larger western Montana towns.
That was the extent of it when the Montana Spay/Neuter Task Force launched Project S.P.O.T (Stop Pet Overpopulation Today) in Blackfeet Country in October 1996. Now, fourteen years later, look where we in Montana have come. Over fifty programs across the state now offer affordable, accessible spay/neuter assistance to Montana pet owners in need of such services.
Now we Montanans must catch our breath and assess where we were, how far we have come and where we must go next to make sure that every Montana pet owner can reach affordable, accessible spay/neuter services and that eventually every Montana pet has a lifetime relationship with a Montana veterinarian. But, Montana is a tough place to negotiate to reach our goal — the fourth largest state in land; one of the smallest in population; remote areas with no veterinary services, shelters, or animal control programs.
Enter the MONTANA SPAY HOTLINE to bring this far-flung community together, through a central phone information exchange for “providers” and for “targets.” The means: 1) a toll free phone number for pet owners; 2) gathering electronically, in one place, a list of all providers in Montana to which hotline personnel on the phone can refer callers.
Montana Spay Hotline Benefits
- A single center offered to the community of “providers” means a single free phone call accesses all sorts of useful information regarding various spay/neuter assistance “providers” and information about spay/neuter and help, especially for those in the poorest and remote parts of Montana.
- The Montana SPAY hotline can identify “black holes” where there is need but no “provider.”
- A single free number to promote spay/neuter and list “providers” is easier to publicize as with billboards and other advertising venues.
- A single free number is easy to promote and eliminates confusion and the sense of “a run-around,” for the “target” — the neediest, the most inexperienced and uninformed pet owners regarding spay/neuter.
* provider = any organization, veterinary clinic, or group that offers “affordable, accessible spay/neuter assistance to pet owners in need.”
** target = a pet owner in need of such assistance.
