KEYSTONE HEIGHTS – One of the fallouts of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the reduced ability of some residents to take proper care of their pets.

There is a large pet population in the county and they pose an additional expense to their owners and caretakers. Some people, especially senior citizens on fixed incomes, find themselves wondering they will be able to feed and meet the medical needs of the animals.

There is help on both fronts. Fix Them All, a nonprofit formerly known as Pay to Spay, provides affordable options to control the population of cats and dogs, while Twisted Oaks rescue has been a great help on the feeding front, literally donating tons of food to those in need.

Veterinary care for animals can be an expensive proposition, one that is often unaffordable. Animals often breed and multiply, making the situation worse if they belong to a family or person facing tough times.

Fix Them All states their mission as: to incentivize the spaying and neutering of dogs and cats in order to reduce the number of unwanted animals.

Lucille Reese is Operations Manager for Fix Them All and has been with the organization since its inception in 2015.

“We wanted to do something for the lower-income, underserved residents in lower areas on spaying and neutering their animals,” she said. “It’s [low-cost spay and neuter services] quite relevant. There are shelters, but they are completely overwhelmed with stray animals and people who surrender their animals, either because they have too many animals or they can’t afford to feed them.”

Fix Them All works to provide access to surgery as well as education on caring for pets and the benefits and importance of sterilization.

The original idea for Pay To Spay was many pet owners would be less than excited about sterilizing their animals if they got a gift card as a monetary incentive to outweigh the cost. They eventually discovered a more prevalent reason for reluctance of sterilization was more due to the cost and a lack of transportation.

The name Fix Them All, it was a better way to reflect the mission of the organization.

Fix The All has a mobile unit that travels to assist with better meeting the needs of its patrons.

The cost is also heavily subsidized, with a price tag of $30 for cats and $50 for dogs to undergo the process.

“Our low-cost spay/neuter program is made possible through our success in negotiating discounted procedure fees of our local veterinarians who wish to participate in our program,” said Reese. “We subsidize the difference with our own funds. We promote the availability of these services at farm stores, grocery stores, donut shops and other places where people gather as well as online.”

In 2020, Fix Them All has coordinated the sterilization of more than 1,000 pets to reduce the number of unwanted animals in the area.