Free spay/neuter clinic comes to Agriplex May 6-9

BREWSTER – For about two-and-a-half years now, Brewster resident Mike Ostrom has waged a one-man campaign to capture homeless cats in and around the city so they can be spayed or neutered, receive vaccinations and medical attention before being returned to their point of capture. As of this writing Ostrom has succeeded in rounding up 177 felines, 72 of those within the city limits. What Ostrom is doing for Brewster is scheduled to happen countywide – for four days anyway – at the Okanogan fairgrounds.

The Big Fix, a collaborative event between Team Okanogan Animal Rescue (TOAR) and Good Fix, a Greater Good Charities program, will host a free spay and neuter clinic for cats and dogs from May 6-9 at the Agriplex, 175 Rodeo Trail. 

• Registration is required and begins at 7:30 a.m. on a first-come, first-served basis.
• All patients must weigh at least two pounds and be a minimum of two months old.

The goal of the project is to spay or neuter at least 1,000 animals over the four-day period.

Ostrom has been busy helping with preparations by lining many of the 100-plus capture cages with newspapers to disguise their purpose from wary cats.

“I put layers of papers on the base, so they won’t step on the bare wire,” said Ostrom who knows a thing or two about trapping feral felines.

Greater Good Charities is a global nonprofit with a mission statement “to help people, pets, and the planet by mobilizing in response to need and amplifying the good,” according to its website, greatergood.org/good-fix.

Since 2021 Good Fix has been addressing cat and dog overpopulation throughout the U.S. Toward that end Good Fix teams have spayed and neutered more than 58,000 cats and dogs. Specially trained surgical personnel and professional trappers work with local community shelters and organizations like TOAR. 

TOAR (teamokanimalrescue.org) founded in 2022 is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that hit the ground running. Shortly after its creation the organization:

• Hosted its first spay/neuter clinic. 
• Sterilized, vaccinated, and microchipped more than 250 animals.
• Distributed more than 17,000 pounds of pet food to foster homes and rescues.
• Established partnerships to transfer adoptable animals to shelters with high adoption rates.
• Worked with law enforcement to improve best practices for handling animals.

The following year those numbers grew; more than 1,800 cats and 1,200 dogs served, more than 30,000 pounds of pet food distributed among other services.

Today, TOAR is raising funds to build an animal shelter that will serve the county and provide a 24-hour facility where law enforcement can bring animals found or confiscated.

CCT clinic set

The Colville Confederated Tribes are hosting their annual Rural Area Veterinary Services (RAVS) spay/neuter clinic from May 6-9, at the Keller Community Center followed by vaccinations and wellness care on May 10. No appointment needed on a first-come, first-served schedule. Space is limited.

Mike Maltais: 360-333-8483 or michael@ward.media