FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO) – Humane Fort Wayne has received a $1 million grant to help transform its Maycrest Drive clinic into an affordable spay/neuter clinic. 

Around fifty million pets in the country lack basic care due to high costs, affecting families all over. To help with this, PetSmart Charities has committed $100 million over the next five years toward improving access to veterinary care. 

The expansion of Humane Fort Wayne will allow for double the affordable surgeries and will increase available services. The shelter recently relocated its basic wellness operations to a Leesburg Road facility. 

Surgeries performed at the Maycrest Drive location will be exclusively for owned cats and dogs, while shelter sterilizations will take place on Leesburg Road. This will allow for twice as many families to bring their pets in for services, as well as twice as many shelter animals to be taken care of. 

According to Kate Atema, a director at PetSmart Charities, about half of pet-owning families cannot afford veterinary care costs. 

With the grant money, families will have access to care that they can more easily afford.