ALBERTON – The Alberton Public Schools played host to the Humane Society of Western Montana last weekend in an effort to curb the number of unwanted pet pregnancies through a spay and neuter clinic.

The operation was set up in the school’s gym over the course of Saturday, Feb. 15, and Sunday, Feb. 16. Two veterinarians were on hand to perform the procedures as people brought their pets in. The clinic was open to people from all over the area as they came from as far as St. Regis and Missoula to take advantage of the service.

According to Mariah Scheskie, project manager at the Humane Society, most of the patients on Saturday were cats and the majority of dogs were scheduled to be seen on Sunday.

Only dogs and cats were allowed for the clinic. While they are the most common pets to have spayed and neutered, Scheskie recalled one vet who neutered a pet rat but said he did not want to do it again.

There was only one vet available on Saturday and a second joined in on Sunday. It was preferred owners make an appointment for their pets but walk-ins were accepted as cancellations allowed. While there was no quota of operations to perform, there was a limit. Scheskie said the vets would only do approximately 100 on Saturday. Sunday, the vets were scheduled to perform the operation on 35 dogs and 50 cats.

Some people made appointments at the clinic for animals they did not own. With a number of feral cats running around various areas, some people chose to catch the wild animals and have them undergo the procedure. If these animals were social enough, they were set aside to be put into a shelter for adoption. Otherwise they were released back into the wild.

“Some people planned to bring in feral cats but couldn’t catch them [and cancelled],” Scheskie said.

Spaying and neutering a pet can be beneficial to the animal’s health. According to Scheskie, it reduces the risk of testicular and ovarian cancer, among other health problems. It can also prevent any harm from complications in pregnancy. The clinics also offered the chance to have rabies and other vaccinations done.

“It’s a good preventative measure to take,” said Scheskie. “So a lot of vets will tell you that it’s actually easier on the mom to get spayed than to have puppies or kittens.”

Scheskie also felt a pet who had the operation done wound up with a better relationship with the family. When a family commits to the procedure it can create a stronger bond with the pet as a member of the family.

A surprisingly small amount of work went into preparing the gym for the clinic’s presence. The school laid out tarps to protect the gym’s floor and the Humane Society provided everything else. Scheskie said they brought everything to sterilize the equipment with them and there was not much else to be concerned about.

“It is a little different than doing it at a vet clinic, just because they’re doing so many animals,” said Scheskie. “But everything gets sterilized.”

Alberton was chosen for the location of the clinic because of its convenient location to other small communities. Scheskie said it was a good middle ground for the towns in Mineral County and other areas to the east. The Humane Society likes to hold clinics within easy reach of towns without veterinary resources. The organization tries to position the events where the most people could reach them.

This is the Human Society’s second year holding the clinic in Alberton and approximately the fifth time doing a large multi-community clinic like this. In the past, they have also held them in Superior.

“We always try to go to a rural area where people need help,” Scheskie said.