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Have a Heart Pet Shelter briefs Marion County court on surgeries, grants and pet‑support programs
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Summary
A shelter representative told Marion County officials the organization performed about 2,905 surgeries in 2025, has expanded programs funded by foundations and ARPA, and runs microchipping and pet‑food distribution services to help residents keep pets.
At the Marion County meeting on March 10, a representative from Have a Heart Pet Shelter presented a year‑end report describing surgical output, partnerships and community programs.
The presenter said intake at the shelter fell by 168 animals compared with the prior year but that the shelter’s census remains high, limiting the ability to accept more animals. She said the group performed 2,905 surgeries in 2025 and had completed 603 surgeries so far in the current year, citing an average of about 40 surgeries on surgical days.
The speaker credited ARPA funding for equipment that enabled the on‑site surgery suite, saying county money paid for equipment “somewhere around $57,000.” She also described a partnership with the BISSELL Pet Foundation and a large philanthropic contribution: she said the David and Sheryl Duffy Foundation provided a multiyear partnership contribution (the presenter cited a figure of about $6,000,000 in partnership funding to the BISSELL Pet Foundation to support a pilot wellness program).
Programs described included a monthly “1,000‑pound day” focused on large dogs, microchipping for $5 with spay/neuter, a community cat spay/neuter project (about $7,800 spent this year), and a pet‑food closet that distributed roughly 22,000 pounds of pet food. The presenter said transports to other rescues have declined (from 581 in 2024 to 399 in 2025), making local capacity and surgeries more important.
A public commenter and other members praised the shelter’s work; one attendee described rescuing and rehabilitating a severely abused dog and thanked the shelter for support. The court thanked the presenter and noted the positive community impact of the shelter’s services.
The presenter cautioned that some local veterinarians express concern about perceived competition for business, but said the shelter’s services are intended to keep pets in homes and help owners who cannot otherwise afford care.
The court’s packet and the shelter’s materials were distributed to members at the meeting; the court expressed appreciation for the shelter’s use of grant and foundation funds and encouraged ongoing collaboration.
Next steps: no formal action was required; the presentation was for information and appreciation.
