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1 <br /> ORANGE COUNTY <br /> BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br /> ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br /> Meeting Date: February 20, 2025 <br /> Action Agenda <br /> Item No. 8-b <br /> SUBJECT: Proclamation Declaring February 25, 2025, as Spay Neuter Day in Orange <br /> County <br /> DEPARTMENT: Animal Services <br /> ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: <br /> Spay Neuter Day Proclamation Tiani Stamey, Interim Director, 919-932- <br /> 4961 <br /> Melissa Ramirez-Grimaldi, Program <br /> Coordinator, 919-932-4966 <br /> PURPOSE: To approve a proclamation officially proclaiming February 25, 2025, as " Spay Neuter <br /> Day" in Orange County. <br /> BACKGROUND: Animal Services staff and the Animal Services Advisory Board (ASAB) are <br /> recommending that the BOCC adopt a proclamation designating February 25, 2025, as "Spay <br /> Neuter Day" in Orange County. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has nationally <br /> designated the last Tuesday of each February as " International Spay Day." <br /> In Orange County, the issue of pet overpopulation is a priority. In 2010, Animal Services staff and <br /> the ASAB prepared a five-year strategic plan on the basis of best practices in the field of animal <br /> welfare and public policy: Managing Pet Overpopulation: A Strategic Plan for Orange County, <br /> North Carolina. Fundamental to this plan was targeting spays and neuters in the County to <br /> decrease the rate of reproduction of dogs and cats, thereby containing the number of animals that <br /> must be sheltered and the costs of caring for those animals. <br /> Over the years, Animal Services has remained committed to increasing community access to free <br /> spay and neuter services. Through program expansions, the County has broadened eligibility to <br /> include pet owners in a wider range of household incomes and introduced a community cat spay <br /> and neuter initiative, ensuring more pets receive essential services. Pet sterilization not only helps <br /> reduce overpopulation but also promotes the health and well-being of pets, allowing them to <br /> remain with their owners and strengthening the human-animal bond. <br /> Significant developments for calendar year 2024 included: <br /> • The total number of dogs and cats sterilized was 813. <br /> • 586 of those sterilizations were of community cats via a partnership with Independent <br /> Animal Rescue and in-house sterilizations. <br /> • Due to rising costs, AnimalKind ended its partnership with Orange County, therefore putting <br /> a pause on the number of community pets spayed and neutered while other partners were <br /> sought. <br />