March Meeting Report

We had a great monthly meeting today! A group of 15 volunteers gathered at the National Hotel in Jamestown to share updates and help plan what comes next. If you couldn’t join us, all the details we covered are here.

Updates

• We have a website now! Check us out at tspayneuter.com.

• The surgical van we were interested in turned out to be the wrong fit. It would have needed extensive repairs to get it up and running as a mobile spay and neuter unit. We’ve shifted our sights to creating more of a pop-up clinic where we can set up in pretty much any location and then pack everything away into storage. This idea was inspired by Elizabeth’s visit with Tails of Mexico this month, where they do exactly that.

• With the change in clinic setup, we’re also thinking we can ramp up earlier and more gradually. Rather than needing enough start-up capital to fund an entire full-time clinic, we can start as small as one weekend per month and ramp up as we learn from our experience.

• Another way to ramp up sooner is to start by serving cats only. Dogs require a gas anesthesia machine, which is significantly more expensive, whereas that isn’t required for cats. By doing a few cat-specific clinics, we’ll get some experience and also have the opportunity to raise funds for the equipment we need to serve dogs as we get visibility in the community.

• The rummage sale is on track for May 6 and 7 at Second Chance Cocker Rescue in Jamestown. We have a volunteer who is coordinating everything, and soon we’ll be recruiting people who can help set up, sort merchandise, price items, and clean up. If you’d be interested in helping, please add your name to our volunteer list!

• Carol and Elizabeth have been meeting with people all across the community to learn what supplies are available and who is interested in being involved. This includes veterinarians to consult on medical practices and where to secure lightly used surgical equipment, local rescues to purchase any unused kennels and other animal care items, and experts in licensing and insurance. Our wonderful grant writer is working on pricing these items so we can know what to expect and what grants might cover those costs.

What’s next?

• Please fill out our volunteer form if you can help in any way at all.

• If you have any information about locations where a pop-up weekend clinic might be a good fit, please contact tspayneuter@gmail.com. We’re still very open to all possibilities!

• Come check us out at any of our upcoming events:

  • Tuolumne County Volunteer Fair
    Where: Mother Lode Fairgrounds
    When: March 30 -- 3:30pm-6:30pm

  • 40th Annual Home and Garden Show
    Where: Mother Lode Fairgrounds
    When: April 15 and 16 -- 10:00am-5:00pm

  • Monster Rummage Sale
    Where: Second Chance Cocker Rescue
    When: May 6 and 7 -- 9:00am-3:00pm

• Keep dropping off your CA-CRV recycling at Sonora Recycling and mention Tuolumne Spay and Neuter as the organization where you want to direct those funds. Full details here.

• We're looking for more ways to spread awareness about what we're doing. If you know of any events where we could be a simple presence with an information table or even just some signage, please let us know! Reach out to tspayneuter@gmail.com.