The Jacksonville Humane Society (JHS) completed a year-long project this month by performing 575 spay and neuter surgeries for dogs and kittens in Jacksonville after a $25,000 award from Florida Animal Friend.  

Florida Animal Friend is the organization behind the popular specialty “Spay and Neuter” license plate available for vehicles in Florida.

Over the years, Florida Animal Friend has awarded more than $8,800,000 to incredible Florida organizations with effective spay and neuter programs. As stated on their website, “an increase in the number of these surgeries greatly reduces pet overpopulation and ultimately saves the lives of countless homeless cats and dogs.”

JHS received the $25,000 grant award in 2023 with a goal to spay and neuter 575 dogs and kittens from Jacksonville and completed the work this month.

The 575 surgeries were done in addition to JHS’s annual spay/neuter work. This increase in capacity is an effort to help sustain a lower intake of kittens at Jacksonville’s shelters in our community. Additionally, this service was offered to families that attended our free wellness clinics across Jacksonville. Opening this resource to owned dogs allowed them to remain happy and healthy with the families that love them. In doing so, the number of neonatal kittens and adult dogs are reduced in shelters.

“We are so thankful to Florida Animal Friend for their continued support of this program,” said Denise Deisler, CEO of JHS. “By offering this accessible care to families in our community, 100 dogs were able to receive spay/neuter surgeries, helping to keep them happy and healthy with their families. We are also grateful to Florida Animal Friend for helping 475 kittens receive spay/neuter surgeries at JHS. This accomplishment was a community effort and we are truly appreciative!”

To support this work, individuals are encouraged to purchase a Florida Animal Friend license plate. Plates are available by mail or online at floridaanimalfriend.org or at your local county’s tag and title office.