BY DAVID GRANT LONG

Myriad kittens and puppies were put to death at the Cortez Animal Shelter last year, thanks to pet owners who see their animals as expendable stuffed toys rather than best friends.

"Day after day, people keep bringing in litters," shelter manager Andrea Jeter said recently.

In 1999, more than 500 dogs and cats, most of them very young, were euthanized at the shelter, Jeter recounted, more than she was able to get adopted and twice as many as were reclaimed by their owners.

That’s 305 dogs and 230 cats killed because alleged animal-lovers didn’t bother to have their pets fixed and then didn’t want to deal with the results — obviously liking the idea of having pets far better than the reality of the care and expense that goes along with their daily existence.

Jeter and Cortez Police Lt. Darrell Hinton, the pound’s administrator, recently won the city’s blessing to establish a low-cost spay and neuter program that she believes could be a big step in accomplishing her goal of reducing this number — ultimately to zero.

"We want to promote spaying and neutering because that’s why they’re here," she explained, gesturing to the jammed kennels that hold the unwanted animals facing imminent execution.

The program will provide subsidies to pet owners of limited means to cover approximately a third of the cost of the surgeries for dogs and nearly half for cats, she said. It is open to all residents of Montezuma County, not just those adopting animals from the shelter.

Until recently, the charges of the three local veterinarians who perform these operations averaged $65 for cat spays and $35 for neutering, according to Jeter, although the prices recently went up.

And depending on the dog’s size, spaying ranged in cost from $76 to $130 and neutering went from $62 to $90, but these prices have also been raised, and a new schedule for the subsidies has to be calculated.

To qualify, annual income must be under:

• $12,000 for a single person with no dependents.

• $14,000 for a single person with dependents.

• $16,000 for a married couple without dependents.

• $18,000 for a married couple with dependents.

Income must be verifiable through a paycheck stub, income-tax form or letter of qualification for other low-income programs, Jeter said, at the time a person applies for assistance.

The program is being funded entirely by donations, she stressed, and uses no tax revenue. Currently the fund contains about $1,200, she said, which is enough to get the program started — although obviously more will be needed to continue the subsidies.

Anyone wishing to contribute may do so by sending a check to the shelter in care of the Cortez Police Department, 608 N. Park St., Cortez, or by bringing the donation directly to the shelter, 27516 Highway 160.

People or businesses donating $50 or more will be honored with a nameplate on a plaque at the shelter, Jeter said, and those who receive assistance will be asked to write thank-you letters to donors.

"I don’t think that’s asking too much," she said, "and people get to know where their money’s going."

The program begins Feb. 29, which has been designated Spay Day USA by the Doris Day Animal Foundation, Jeter explained. Day is an ardent animal advocate who adopted dozens of pets herself in addition to campaigning against animal cruelty, and the foundation named in her honor continues this work.