BEATRICE – The Beatrice Humane Society wants to use current fire office space in the Municipal auditorium for spaying and neutering of cats and dogs.
Humane Society Board members John Rypma and Deanne Caspers-Moon, and Society Executive Director Carlee Fiddes met with the mayor and city council at a work session Monday night. Fiddes says the society is facing capacity and space issues in its arrangement with the Kansas State University Veterinary program.


"K-State, who does the majority of our spays and neuters at this point in time, did not do any surgeries for us for almost three months...during those three months, our surgery load backed up and we weren't able to get animals adopted out. They stayed in our system and had to deal with illnesses and injuries, things like that...just because they were there for longer than they needed to be. It was a real challenge for us to continue to operate the way that we needed to, with that going on."


The Beatrice Humane Society is requesting renovation of current fire office space…at a cost of about $19,000…for animal surgeries after the fire department moves to their new headquarters.  Although Kansas State has resumed helping the society with surgeries in Manhattan, it is on a more limited basis. Fiddes says the society has tapped out the resources of local veterinarians. On occasion, animals have had to be taken to Lincoln and Omaha for spaying or neutering.


"We have rescue partners who have been addressing the same problems we've had this past year...who can't get their own animals spayed and neutered. Some of those rescues are local, some are regional." The society works with rescues as far away as Texas, Minnesota, Nevada and eastern Iowa. The new clinic space locally would allow the Humane Society to also better address a problem with feral cats in Beatrice.


Fiddes says there is a part of the community that cannot afford to get their animals spayed or neutered. The surgical area, which would not house animals daily, would be used for shelter animals, for trap, neuter, vaccinated and released animals, privately-owned pets and other rescue animals.
Initially, the Humane Society Shelter would subsidize the operation. Fiddes says local veterinarians have greatly helped the shelter over the years.


"Dr. Julie with Oakview Veterinary Clinic and Dr. Bob with Beatrice Animal Hospital...both of them have been charging us the same price for surgeries that they did ten years ago. How they have never asked for an increase in price for ten years...I can tell you is a huge testament to how our community supports us, as an organization. But, we have to start finding a better solution so they can actually fill those slots for customers who can pay them something more than a discount they came up with, ten years ago."


The Humane Society is using all available space at its shelter in west Beatrice. It is seeking use of three office areas in the municipal auditorium for a low-cost clinic….about 600 feet of square space…and is seeking up to a five-year commitment. That would provide time to measure the impact of the effort.


Council members Gary Barnard and Rich Kerr had questions about the scope of the local program, and whether it serves an area beyond its capacity. Fiddes said there is a larger profit margin on a dog that is brought in from outside the area and readied for adoption. The local shelter also works with PetSmart through their foundation to provide animals for adoption.


Fiddes says in 2020, there were 384 stray animals that came into the shelter from the City of Beatrice….and 89 from the county, mostly from the Wymore area. Mayor Stan Wirth feels there’s some value in the Humane Society proposal on the issue of feral cats.


"It just appears to me that for a small amount of money, you're offering a service that I think everyone is really looking for, because of all of the feral cats that we have today. Once they're spayed or neutered, the population is going to go down, and I think that is extremely important."


Pickrell Veterinarian. Dr. Jennafer Glaesemann is concerned about how the proposal affects current veterinarian care. "It's just the component about privately-owned pets and how that may affect the prices the community ends up paying as well as economics, within town and other veterinary clinics and small businesses in town...that is an issue."


Fiddes said the goal is not to compete with local veterinarians….but provide an option for spaying or neutering animals.