September is Spay-Neuter Month in Moore County, presented by Companion Animal Clinic of the Sandhills Foundation.

Affordable spay-neuter procedures will be offered to animal welfare groups in Moore County and to individuals who cannot afford a private veterinarian. Base fees for dogs are $65. The fees are $50 for female cats and $35 for male cats.

The Companion Animal Clinic of the Sandhills Foundation (CAC) is a regional organization that promotes humane and responsible care of companion animals, a news release said. The foundation's goal is to eliminate the euthanasia of abandoned and unwanted animals in a nine-county region including, Moore, Lee, Hoke, Montgomery, Richmond, Harnett, Cumberland, Chatham and Randolph through affordable spay/neuter with community education and volunteer involvement.

The CAC Foundation works with local veterinarians, rescue and adoption organizations, county governments and the North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine to accomplish its mission. The foundation will ensure that animals adopted from county facilities are spayed or neutered, which will reduce intake to animal control and assist county animal control become primary adoption centers.

CAC Foundation provides affordable spay and neuter at the Spay/Neuter Veterinary Clinic of the Sandhills (SNVC) in Vass for animal welfare groups and individuals that cannot afford a private veterinary practitioner

Large numbers of unwanted animals are surrendered to county animal control facilities each year. Of the animals housed in animal control facilities in CAC's region in 2006, 78 percent were euthanized at a cost of more than $3 million to the taxpayers, the news release said.

No matter how many animal welfare groups participate to adopt animals out, the animals surrendered to animal control increase each year by about 13 percent. The consequence is an escalating euthanasia rate of these unwanted yet adoptable animals, according to the foundation.

Since opening its doors, more than 10,000 animals have been spayed/neutered from the nine-county region served by the Companion Animal Clinic Foundation, including 5,181 in Moore County, the group said.

Anyone wanting more information or to make an appointment can contact Sue Kelly at the Spay/Neuter Veterinary Clinic at (910) 692-3499.