The SPCA of Texas hopes a McKinney program cuts the number of stray dogs and puppies entering the county shelter by as much as 40 percent over the next few years.
Project SNYP offers $20 spay/neuter services to McKinney residents at the SPCA’s McKinney clinic, as well as vaccinations and microchips.
"We realize we cannot adopt our way out of this overpopulation issue that the county shelter is dealing with,” said James Bias, president and CEO of the SPCA of Texas.
The campaign is funded by a $200,000 grant award from PetSmart Charities and other private donations.
McKinney was highlighted in the SPCA’s grant proposal as an epicenter of pet overpopulation.
"We get a large amount of animals from McKinney, a very large amount of animals from McKinney," said Lisa Drummonds, Collin County adoption and rescue coordinator. "We just don’t have the room to take them in as they come in the door."
Drummonds attributed the problem to the county's explosion in human population.
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The county animal shelter was built just six years ago, but county commissioners and other officials have already begun discussing whether to expand the space or have individual cities such as McKinney and Frisco consider building their own shelters, as Plano and Allen have done.
The county animal shelter facility will not be paid off until 2016.
"The county shelter is also going to have to grow," Drummonds said. "They realize we have to grow with the population."
In the meantime, the SPCA program plans to target nearly 3,000 dogs and puppies in McKinney for spaying and neutering during its two-year span.
All Project SNYP procedures will take place at the McKinney facility on Stacy Road.
