Bristol Humane Society announces plans for ‘major expansion’ to its spay/neuter clinic

BRISTOL, Va. (WJHL) — The Bristol Humane Society announced on Wednesday plans for a "major expansion" to its existing Margaret B. Mitchell Spay/Neuter Clinic.

A release from the humane society said the expansion will include a larger spay/neuter clinic, a five-day-a-week wellness clinic, an education center and a pet food and supplies pantry. The release said the expansion is designed to allow the organization to serve more than 35,000 pets each year.

According to the release, the humane society has operated its low-cost spay/neuter facility since 2005. This year, the facility celebrated hitting 200,000 total surgeries for dogs and cats in the region since opening.

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"Our goal has always been to end the need to euthanize healthy, adoptable dogs and cats by reducing the number that enter the region's shelters. We're excited to further this mission by expanding our facility and thus our ability to further serve the community," said the humane society's Vice President of the Board of Directors and Executive Director Dr. Jennifer McCall Ketron.

The humane society currently has a capital campaign of $4 million to help fund the expansion and is calling on the community, donors, partners and other supporters to help make the expansion a reality.

"Our new facility will allow us to meet the rising demand for services in our region," McCall Ketron said in the release. "It will be a place where pets and their families can receive essential veterinary care and find resources to keep their pets happy and healthy. Our goal is to continue preventing unwanted litters and to provide medical and support services in an effort to decrease the need to relinquish pets to shelters."

More information on the Bristol Humane Society and how to donate to the expansion project can be found at Bristolhumanesociety.org .