Pet overpopulation continues to be a problem in the United States and our area. On August 21st the Yancey Humane Society sent animal number 1,000 for this year to the Humane Alliance to be fixed. In 2010 and 2011 combined they only sent a total of 1,292 animals to be fixed. According to YHS executive director Tim Tipton, “Our intake is showing the results of all these spay/neuters and the hard work we’ve put in. Our 2012 intake is down nearly 30%. We just took in animal number 570 for the year. Last year at this point, we had already taken in 790 animals. We work daily to find more grant sources to keep our programs going. Of the 1,000 surgeries done this year 99% have been paid for entirely with grant funds. To date, we have spent more than $52,000 fixing pets for Yancey County residents.” The YHS spay/neuter programs are still going strong. With the exception of dogs weighing less than 40 pounds grant money is still available to fix pets for free. Call the animal shelter at 682-9510 for more information.