It's good news to know that so many shelters are trying to spay/neuter all animals leaving the shelters. I think that it should be 100% all over the province! I know that the Nanaimo shelter has succeeded in this regard.

Lorie mentions "nearly-full spay/neuter". I wonder what this means. The cost of a full programme would be a really a good investment. So much animal suffering is prevented and that's what the SPCA mission is all about. The question is more if we can afford not to have such a programme. To me, this is a top priority use of funds.

I wonder how much the SPCA pays veterinarians for spay/neuter surgery. I know that Atlas Veterinary Hospital in Vancouver charges $30 for a male and $40 for a female for cats and $50 (male) and $55 (female) for dogs under 60 pounds. It's probably difficult to get these rates in all communities. I know that a lot of places charge three or four times this amount, which makes it imperative that no unfixed animals leave shelters. People will fall in love with a particular dog or cat and adopt him/her without really thinking about the cost of the surgery. There is a chance that there will be quite a few new babies without a universal programme being in effect.