Northern California Association of NonProfits - Good Work Humboldt Spay/Neuter Clinic!

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Trudy Terres started working with the Humboldt Spay/Neuter Network as a volunteer, while a student at Cal Poly. A stray cat had adopted her and that little lady inconveniently gave birth to kittens under Trudy’s bed. “I reached out to HSNN, and they were so accommodating and helpful. To repay the favor, I started to volunteer.” Then a job opportunity of kennel aid came along, then one as a vet’s assistant, then there was some outreach and community work. Finally, she moved up to be Executive Director.

The network’s main mission is to spay and neuter pets and other animals in the community, thereby limiting overpopulation and the cases of neglect and other problems that come with it. Recently, they expanded to offer additional accessible and affordable veterinary care. “Our current veterinarian helped us envision a new set of services, things like dental cleanings and dignified euthanasia. We offer training with traps to help people catch feral cats, and then a package that gets those cats spayed/neutered.”

Trudy points out that they are not a full-service veterinary clinic. They don’t provide emergency services or general x-rays, for example.

In total, the organization treats 4300 – 4500 spay/neuter patients a year. Need increased during Covid. More recently, affordable veterinary care became more of an issue with regional economic struggles. This has also resulted in growing numbers of animals coming from Mendocino and Lake Counties.

Trudy most wants you to know that “we exist, and there are options. The biggest thing is that asking questions and being a responsible pet owner doesn’t have to be scary.” The people with HSNN firmly believe that if people have the tools, access to care, which can set them up for success that ripples elsewhere in their lives.

Recent pet patients include a sweet dog, whose owner noticed she was shaking her head, and her ears were irritated. HSNN medical staff found and removed a pair of foxtails, one lodged in each of the poor pup’s ears.

Cost estimates are always provided, and the network will work to provide financial support on a case-by-case basis as funding is available.

Humboldt Spay/Neuter Network is primarily supported through community donations, grants provided via bequests to the Humboldt Area Foundation, funds from the DMV license plate program, and some other small grants. While much of that is directed to spay and neuter services, recent donations contributed to the expanded service list. Coast Central Credit Union funded a Comfort Room, where humane euthanasia takes place.

Another donation allowed the organization to add an in-house lab, urine, and bloodwork, giving those services a much quicker turnaround. To donate, visit https://www.spayhumboldt.org/donate. You can also look to drop your spare change in jars placed at local pet, feed and hardware stores.

The network currently deploys around 10 volunteers. Most of what they do is trap, neuter, and return feral cats. In most situations, those cats are returned to the environment from which they came, after they recover from their procedures. Volunteers also foster animals and staff events. If you’d like to join this crew, email Trudy directly at trudyhsnn@gmail.com.

I’m a dog dad, to a pair of spayed and neutered Whippets. (Side note: a Whippet is what you would get if you shrunk a Greyhound in the dryer. If you were to shrink a Whippet in the dryer, you’d come out with an Italian Greyhound. These are cynology facts.) I know the expenses of caring for animals add up. It’s heartening to know that affordable services can be found at Humboldt Spay/Neuter Network should that need come.

Good Work is a series written by Michael Kraft, who volunteers on behalf of the Northern California Association of Nonprofits (NorCAN). NorCAN supports connections between people and organizations that work every day to keep our communities healthy and strong by offering professional development, board support, networking connections and more. Learn more at https://norcal-nonprofits.com/. To nominate a deserving nonprofit organization to be profiled, email michael@kraftconsultants.com.