Animal Allies says goodbye

By DEVIN WEEKS

Staff Writer

A nonprofit that works to maintain a healthy local pet population announced Tuesday that this will be its last year.

Animal Allies of Idaho (AAID), founded in February 2014, will continue to serve those in need of financial assistance to spay and neuter pets until funds run out. The organization will officially dissolve Dec. 31.

“It’s going to leave a gap, but I can’t keep it going, and we were unable to find any other organization or people to take it over at that level," president and executive director Ronnee McGee said Wednesday. "Rather than just hand it over, we're going to let it go while we're still on top."

The board-directed AAID has helped pet parents "fix" more than 2,900 cats and dogs.

According to the AAID website, www.animalalliesid.org, a female cat can produce an average of three litters in one year, and the average number of kittens is five. In just two years, one female and her offspring could produce 225 cats. Dogs average one litter of five puppies a year; in just two years, a female dog and her offspring could produce 25 dogs.

As well as altering close to 3,000 pets, McGee said about 10 times that is the number of litters that have been prevented since AAID began its work.

McGee, who is also resigning to focus on her health, said she would love to be able to hit the 3,000 mark before AAID is done.

"It’s really a very big number and it makes us feel really great," she said. "If others want to help us reach that magic number before the end of the year, that would be wonderful."

AAID has partnered with several animal clinics in North Idaho's five northern counties to provide discounts and vouchers to those who cannot afford the full cost of altering their animals.

Brittany Davies, office manager at Lake City Pet Hospital, has worked closely with McGee and AAID since the beginning and worked as the office manager when AAID's clinic was open for about two years.

She said she's surprised nobody else has stepped up to take over this important work.

"We see the effects of pet overpopulation all the time," she said. "It was just amazing to have an option if people were struggling with being able to get their pets spayed or neutered."

Davies said aside from the financial assistance, AAID provided the community a service through education.

“It’s especially hard in a community like this where there’s no animal control laws about cats. There's no licensing, there's not a lot of accountability," she said. “It’s going to be rough not having a program like that to offer people when they’re trying to help control the population.

“It’s surprising how many people just don’t understand how much this affects the whole pet population and how necessary it is to spay and neuter," she said. "Animal Allies did a good job with education."

Donations are still being accepted to help as many pet parents as possible before AAID closes.

Info: AAID@AnimalAlliesID.org or 208-930-0065