Donations Welcome
It costs a bit of money to spay or neuter your pet, but it's cheaper than paying for the inevitable offspring. Prices for S/N services vary from one veterinarian to another, so shop around. If you cannot afford S/N services, you might be able to get get a voucher from CTSAC. These are good at most area veterinarians.
Spay/neuter vouchers are often available, but only to people who otherwise would not be able to afford to get it done. Vouchers are not coupons intended to save the owner money. There is never a guarantee that vouchers will be available at any particular time.
When vouchers are available, pet owners still must pay a co-pay. The co-pay for a cat or small dog is $25, and for a large dog it is $50. To get a voucher, you don't have to live in Brown County, you must live in CTSAC's service area.
Please understand that the shelter, regardless of your co-pay, still has to pay the veterinarian for the service, which can cost $50 to $250.
To get a voucher, you will have to come to the shelter and speak with a staff member. The voucher program changes continually. There is never a guarantee that we will be able to furnish a voucher. Then you must fill out a voucher form. You will pay us your co-pay, and we'll give you the voucher, which you can use at most of the area vets. You will have thirty days to use it. If you pet has not received a rabies vaccination in the past year, you will also have to pay for a shot, which costs $10 - $25.
The Pairing Achievement with Service (PAWS) Program, a partnership between the Corinne T. Smith Animal Center and the Texas Youth Commission in Brownwood, TX, provides a service to the community and to the young offenders housed at TYC. Through this program, we send canines to the youth at TYC, and they learn how to handle, train, and manage them as pets. After passing a rigorous test of skills, the dogs are put up for adoption. This program does more than teach a couple of old dogs new tricks. Training pets to learn new skills involves patience and understanding, and working with animals is often a new experience for the girls in the program. Upon completing the program, the youth have acquired the very marketable skill of pet training. So far, every single one of the dogs in this program has been adopted on the day of their graduation, and it would not have happened without the skills and dedication of the youth at Texas Youth Commission!
CTSAC participates in Purina® Pets for Seniors. If you are a senior, age 60 or older, then you can qualify for this program. Pets for Seniors offers adoption assistance for seniors. Adult dogs and cats over two years of age qualify to be adopted through this program. Studies have shown that owning a pet can lower your blood pressure, relieve depression and anxiety, and improve your health and outlook on life. If you are interested in this program and you qualify, please come see us.
The shelter offers dog adoptions for $50 and cat adoptions for $25 for seniors adopting a qualifying pet. This program is made possible by a $5000 grant from the J. R. Beadel Foundation.
We know that when you have to give up your pet to the shelter, it can be a heartbreaking thing. We have seen people from every walk of life, from children to grown men, shed tears as they sign their pet over to us. We know that you want to do everything you can to get your pet adopted as soon as possible. To this end, we have started the Guardian Angels program.
Who are the guardian angels? They are volunteers, pet owners, pet lovers, and people just like you who want to sponsor a pet to make it more likely to be adopted. You can become a guardian angel by donating any amount towards the animal of your choice (or an animal that you are signing over to the shelter) to reduce the adoption price for that animal. Some people can only donate $5, others have donated entire adoption fees.
Please know that while an animal has a guardian angel, his or her chances of adoption are very much increased but are not guaranteed. If your animal is not adopted, your donation will go towards the daily expenses we encounter when working towards adopting out pets in our care.
Emergency services are sometimes available to low-income families in crisis. We are able to provide a one-time issue of food for your pet, and other services are available as funding permits. Please ask staff about our Pet SOS program if you are in need of emergency pet assistance.
What we cannot provide is money to pay for food, veterinary care, or toys, nor can we board your pet. If you feel that you must relinquish your pet due to financial problems, please come speak with us about other options you may have.
