Spay Neuter-palooza 2026 is coming in May
Christine Newman
Since 2014, local animal welfare group, the HolliBell Foundation, has been advocating and supporting low-cost sterilization for pets in all of the Ottawa Valley. Run by animal-loving volunteers, they have understood that the solution to the mass euthanasia and homelessness of unwanted pets is to nip the problem in the bud by preventing unwanted pregnancies in the first place. They believe that spay and neuter options should be available to everyone and their mission is to break down the financial and transportation barriers that prevent Ottawa pet owners from getting their pets fixed. The organization focuses primarily on the vulnerable population, working with Community Veterinary Outreach to connect with pet owners on government assistance; however, anyone needing help to fix their pets is welcome to use their services without judgement.
Several times a year, across the city, the HolliBell Foundation sets up meet-up points where registered owners can drop off their pets early in the morning. Then volunteer drivers take the pets on a 90-minute journey down to Brockville’s Leeds Lanark Grenville Spay Neuter Clinic for their surgery. This clinic specializes solely in sterilization, keeping costs low and the quality superior. By late afternoon, the pets are returned to the original drop-off point to be reunited with their owners.
On May 8, the HolliBell Foundation is coming to Sandy Hill! The office of our city councillor, Stéphanie Plante, paid for and obtained the permit to use the Sandy Hill Arena’s parking lot at 60 Mann Ave. as a drop-off point. Thanks to this arrangement, spay and neuter surgeries (cats only!) will be much more financially and physically accessible for our local Sandy Hill cats. This amazing event is part of a large, five-day, city-wide Spay Neuter Palooza, HolliBell’s largest annual mission to sterilize over 200 cats within one single week. Transportation and subsidized surgeries are being offered at the cost of $100 + HST per male cat and $150 + HST per female cat, a cost that is significantly less than the average $400-$1000 price tag charged at a standard veterinary clinic.
If you would like to enroll your cat for the May 8 Spay Neuter Palooza, please email hollibellfoundation@gmail.com and take advantage of this great opportunity. If you would like to donate to their wonderful cause, send e-transfers to hollibellfoundation@gmail.com or find them on Canadahelps.org. You can also follow their day-to-day updates and fantastic fundraising events on their Facebook page or website at www.hollibellfoundation.com.
Millions of animals are euthanized every year simply because there aren’t enough homes and they have nowhere to go. We cannot adopt our way out of the pet overpopulation crisis, we must FIX it. No judgment. Just spay and neuter.
Why spay and neuter?
- Spaying and neutering, also known as fixing, sterilizing, desexing, castrating or altering your pet:
- Prevents physical traumas caused by pregnancies and unwanted litters that are costly to care for and add to our critically overpopulated pet system
- Eliminates the drive to reproduce which will make them calmer, less aggressive and less likely to roam or escape
- Ends female heat cycles, decreasing unwanted behavioural changes such as howling, spraying and escaping
- Lowers the chance of reproductive health problems such as pyometra and ovarian, mammary, testicular, and uterine cancers
- Reduces the presence of stray pets harmed by cars, causing collisions; also reduces attacks on wildlife such as birds and rabbits
- Though there are minor risks in spaying and neutering, the benefits far outweigh them. If you have concerns, speak directly to your veterinarian about the options for your pet.