Helping Animals and People

in the Verde Valley

by Joyce Pollack, Staff Writer

Debbie Crincoli Engle is president and one of the founders of Animal Aid Network, a local organization whose goal is to reduce the problem of pet overpopulation by helping people to spay and neuter their cats and dogs.  Debbie is a student here at Yavapai and she is also attending classes at NAU.  She is pursuing a career in Elementary Education.  Verde Voice interviewed Debbie recently about her work with Animal Aid Network.

Voice:  What is Animal Aid Network, what does it so, and how long has it been in operation?

D.E.  AAN is an all-volunteer, nonprofit animal welfare organization and we serve all of the Verde Valley.  We have two main programs:  SNIP, a low cost pay neuter incentive program, and SAVE, which is Saving Animals with Veterinary Emergencies.  We are just breaking into the area of adoptions through a program of foster homes for adoptable animals that we home to place into permanent homes.  We do not operate an animal shelter.  We started our programs in January, 1999 and we have subsidized or paid the complete cost of spaying and neutering 882 animals since our inception.  We have spent over $37,000.

Voice:  How are you funded?

D.E.  We are supported by Four Paws Emporium in Old Town Cottonwood, we receive membership dues, and we get donations and grants.  We receive no public funding or tax dollars.

Voice:  Why do you think spaying and neutering is so important?

D.E.  Currently, hundreds of thousands of tax dollars are spent in the Verde Valley each year on the pet overpopulation problem.  That's animal control, shelters, staff, euthanasia, disposal, etc.  As the Verde Valley grows, more money will be spent on this problem.  Of course the other aspect of this is the terrible tragedy of over 1800 animals each year that are put down in Verde Valley animal shelters, and the many more that are abandoned or dumped.  We know this because we hear from hikers or hunters who come across the carcasses or find these animals wandering out in the desert starving and frightened.

Voice:  Why do you think there is such a problem with animal overpopulation?

D.E.  I used to think it was the high cost of sterilization, but I did a study for sociology in which I surveyed four hundred people in the Verde Valley.  I discovered it was mostly due to misinformation.  A lot of people think it would be a good experience for their children to see the birth of an animal, or they think it would be good for their female dog to have one litter.  The fact is, for every animal born, another is being euthanized at shelters all across the country.  the staff workers at these shelters are stressed, spending their days putting down perfectly healthy, adorable, loving, adoptable animals.  The shelters aren't the problem.  Society is.

Voice:  So you feel the key to solving the problem is spaying and neutering?

D.E.  Absolutely.  If you decrease the birth rate, you decrease the death rate in shelters.  In fact, February 27 is Spay Day 2001.  The symbol, much like the AIDS red ribbon, is a blue ribbon tied to a key because the key to ending animal overpopulation is spaying and neutering.   Most people don't realize how fast animals can multiply.  One female cat can give rise to 420,000 cats in seven years and one female dog can give rise to 67,000 dogs in six years, that's how fast they can multiply if all the litters are left to breed.  People who just want to let their dog or cat have one litter can be responsible for a lot of unwanted cats and dos in a fairly short period of time.  They need to be educated.

Voice: What would you tell people who think they should breed their dog or cat because they think it's healthy for them?

D.E. There are more health advantages to sterilization.  Both males and females have decreased occurrences of various cancers, male pets will not roam looking for females in heat, and possibly get injured by autos or other males.  Males will not mark their territory.  There is a risk to females associated with just giving birth, as well as the increased risk of cancers in unsterilized females.  Sterilized animals make much better pets because they are no longer obsessed with mating; they are more content and less aggressive.  the average life span of sterilized animals is significantly longer than that of unsterilized animals.

Voice:  How does the SNIP program work?

D. E.  Spay neuter certificates are purchased at Four Paws Emporium and they are used as money at Verde Veterinary Hospital in Cottonwood.  Any resident of the Verde Valley can buy them.  The certificates cost $25 for a male cat, $45 for a female cat or male dog, and $60 for a female dog.  Prices vary among vets, but the certificates allow you to get your animal spayed or neutered for about half the cost of the regular vet fee.  Dr.  Bruce Weber was the only vet in the entire Verde Valley willing to give AAN a reduced rate on spay neuter services and we are very appreciative.

Voice:  In addition to the SNIP program, you also mentioned SAVE, Saving Animals with Veterinary Emergencies.  What is that and how does it work?

D.E.  SAVE is a special fund for people whose animals have suffered a medical emergency and can't afford veterinary care from local vets.  The SAVE program administrator looks at each case individually to determine if AAN is able to assist.  We can only help when funds are available and this must be approved in advance.  All recipients of SAVE funds sign a contract and agree to repay the fund in a reasonable amount of time.  Also, the fund doesn't cover routine care, such as vaccinations, dentals, etc.

Voice:  So how can someone help Animal Aid Network?

D.E.  Donate quality used goods to Four Paws Emporium, which is open 1 - 4, Monday through Friday.  We also have a storage facility for larger donations, such as furniture.  We need volunteers at Four Paws so we can be open more hours.  You can become a member of AAN, and monetary donations are always welcome. Because we are a 501(c)3 non-profit, all monetary and in-kind donations are tax-deductible.  And for students, I've gotten some scholarships based on my volunteer work for AAN. We have all kinds of jobs, big and small, that we need help with, so student help would be great.  And we need foster homes for animals we are trying to place under our new adoption program.

Voice: How do we contact Animal aid Network?

D.E. AAN can be contacted at P.O. Box 1303, Clarkdale, AZ 86324.  Our voice mail number is 639-3980.  Four Paws Emporium is at 927 North Main Street, Old Town Cottonwood, and that number is 649-0036.  Our website is www.animalaidnetwork.org