Winnipeg’s Save A Dog Network fundraising for new mobile unit

Over the last nine years, Save a Dog Network has spayed and neutered more than 1,000 dogs and cats across Manitoba – and now they’re thinking bigger. 

The organization is currently fundraising for a new mobile unit, and with Manitoba facing an overpopulation crisis, leaders with the group say it could provide a big boost when it comes to meeting demand for spay and neuter services.

“I think the biggest need is the animals suffering, as well as a lack of veterinary care,” said the group’s president and founder Katie Powell.

The organization provides birth control implants and essential services like wellness checks and vaccinations for animals and Powell says the new mobile unit will be a “game changer.”

“We’ve been preparing for this for a long time, and we hope to meet the needs of the communities we work closely with,” she said. 

“We can’t keep up with the amount of spayed and neuter surgeries that are needed in the areas that we target, but across the province as well. So we hope to be able to provide more resources to these underserved communities.”

Veterinarian Melanie Youngs says the mobile unit could be an immense help in providing crucial services to pet owners who want to keep animals healthy and the population in their communities under control.

“When you see how much these people love and care about their animals but just don’t have the means to provide the medical care, it’s really rewarding to be able to do that,” she said. “But it comes at a huge cost to bring a team, and to bring all of the equipment into these communities, can be $30,000 to $40,000 a clinic.”

So far, the organization has raised $18,000, but it’s still far off its goal of the $150,000 required to purchase the vehicle to be transformed.

“It’s for a gently used unit, so we’re not asking to buy brand new state of the art. Those cost $250,000 or more,” said Powell. “Also the costs are a little bit lower, because we own all of our equipment already, so we basically just need a shell to be able to provide these resources to these areas.”

More information about the Save a Dog Network can be found on the organization’s website.