MORGANTOWN – Nancy Young doesn’t claim to have a fix for all woes in the world.
She can, however, tell you all about the pet population.
Or, overpopulation, as it were.
Young is a longtime volunteer and current treasurer of M-SNAP, the Mountaineer Spay and Neuter Assistance Program.
Since its founding in 2008, the organization has worked tirelessly to quell the state of too much fluff in these climes.
Don’t get her wrong: Of course she loves puppies and kittens, she said – and she isn’t alone.
Her woe, she said, is in the form of the puppies and kittens who arrive unchecked and uncared for, only to be abandoned or dropped off at shelters.
If they’re abandoned, they can starve, she said.
And if they’re in a shelter, they can be euthanized.
Since its founding in 2008, the nonprofit M-SNAP, which is all-volunteer, has issued close to 20,000 vouchers to pet owners to pay for such spaying and neutering procedures, to prevent the above.
M-SNAP works with area veterinarians, while relying on grants and donations and the collective generosity of volunteers to get by.
There’s also the ReTails thrift store at WesMon Plaza on Commerce Drive in Westover, which does a brisk business on behalf of the organization.
In the meantime, M-SNAP is hosting a voucher event Feb. 21 at The Triple BBB Cat Sanctuary in Wana – eligible to pet owners who live west of Interstate 79 and south of U.S. 19, Young said.
For details, call M-SNAP at 304-985-0123 and press Extension 3.
There’s also the generosity of the late Margaret and Richard Peterman, both animal lovers, who created a provision in their estate for the groups that tend to the furry, four-legged set.
Since 2011, when the foundation in their name was established, M-SNAP has benefitted from $673,000 in grants, including the most recent outlay in December.
“We’re so very grateful,” Young said.
“We appreciate the Petermans, who make it possible to do the things we do. And we’re always looking for volunteers.”
