College Times

Media Credit: Photos.com

Miles of open road and hours spent driving allow for plenty of uninterrupted contemplation, and for Arizona State University Polytechnic Campus student Erin Meehan, inspiration came to her as she left her South Carolina home to start in a new life in Arizona.

From town to town, Meehan saw an overabundance of homeless animals. In recent years, there has been an increase in shelters for these animals across the country, however, there has also been a dizzying amount of animals multiplying.

While pursuing a degree in applied biology at Arizona State University, Meehan has developed a low-cost spay and neuter program, called Community Spay and Neuter Assistance Program of Arizona, with the help of an Edson Student Entrepreneur Initiative grant she received nearly a year ago. Her hope is to make these surgeries available to everyone so that the number of unwanted animals will finally see a decrease.

Recently, CT had a chance to catch up with Meehan.

College Times: Explain a bit about the process you had to go through to turn this idea into an actual organization.

Erin Meehan: Building support is at the heart of the process. For two years, we have received an Edson Entrepreneurship Grant from ASU (2007: $10,000, 2008: $22,500). We have used the funds to address our business foundation and research, grassroots marketing initiatives and developing our board of directors. Along the way, there are many business filings that must occur. With the help and support from Orin and Charlene Edson and the Initiative, we are now preparing to launch our proof of concept this fall.

Why is it so important that these procedures are made affordable for everyone?

Love transcends socio-economic barriers. Many feel that if a person cannot afford to take care of a pet then he/she shouldn’t have a pet. I disagree. If a person wants to experience the joy of the human-animal bond and everything wonderful that a pet can bring into their life, we need to find a way to support the animal and the individual/ family.Many vets charge upwards of $300 to spay/neuter. Providing for an animal’s needs should not be a luxury, just like pet ownership is not exclusive. By making sterilization and vaccination services low to no cost in communities with high rates of poverty, we are supporting the ability for pets to stay with their owners.

 

How do you get the funding to help lower the surgery costs?

As a public charity, we rely on contributions from the public. Approximately 80 percent of our funding mix is public support. The other 10 percent comes from grants or foundations that award money for our types of programs. If everyone who reads this donated just $20 to Community SNAP of AZ, we could sterilize and vaccinate thousands of animals.

 What has been the most challenging or rewarding thing so far?

The most difficult is looking into the eyes of an animal that is going to be euthanized simply because there is no home for him. Animals know when that time has come. This brings me to tears and I grieve the loss. I have seen the result of intentional abuse and neglect that ends up taking the life of a puppy with multiple bone breaks. I have seen a dog after it has been used in a dog fight. I have seen the horror on a child’s face because feral, free roaming dogs have fought with and cannibalized each other over a scrap from the garbage. I have met and talked with people in law enforcement, grown men and former military, who weep because of the state of affairs in their communities. The most challenging becomes the most rewarding: leading a company that works to keep generations of animals from being born so they never have to experience what I have seen. This is what motivates me every day.

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