There is something to be said for the power of puppy eyes. So proved Toby, a wolfhound mix, when he was adopted from a shelter by Dr. Andrew Kaplan, a practicing veterinarian in New York City. Although Toby was deemed “unadoptable” and “aggressive,” Kaplan took him from the shelter just hours before he was scheduled to be put to death.

Toby soon became Kaplan’s companion and his inspiration to battle pet overpopulation.

In 2009, Kaplan founded the Toby Project, a non-profit organization that performs low-cost spay and neuter services across the city, with a focus on low-income communities in the Bronx and Brooklyn. The Toby Project’s mission is to prevent the killing of adoptable dogs and cats in the city’s animal shelters by preventing the births of unwanted dogs and cats.

“When hasn’t prevention been the answer to the problem?” Kaplan asked in a recent interview. “Prevention is the answer. We can’t adopt or kill our way out of the problem.”

Kaplan said that “zip codes that relinquish pets [into shelters] are those with the lowest income.”

A study released by the Journal of the Veterinary Medical Association last year found that cat-owning families with an income of $35,000 or less are almost are twice as unlikely to get their cats fixed than those making more than $35,000.

Julie Bank, executive director of Animal Care and Control, which runs the city’s shelter system, said Toby’s services are much needed in the Bronx.

“In low-income communities, those are often individuals that don’t have disposable income. That’s why Toby is so helpful,” said Bank. “There is not access to spay/neuter facilities, not as many spay/neuter clinics, not everybody has cars that they can get animals to facilities.”

There is no animal shelter in the Bronx and few resources for low-cost spay and neuter services.

The Bronx drop-off center on Fordham Road, the only Animal Care and Control facility in the borough, is open just two days per week. After they enter the shelter system and are fixed, animals face adoption or death.

“Our goal is to try to find homes for every animal that is brought into the shelter,” Bank said.

In spite of their adoption efforts, euthanasia is prevalent. Animal Care and Control NYC reported an intake of approximately 40,000 animals last year. About 2,000 of those animals were returned to their owners and 25,000 were adopted. Out of the 13,000 that remained, 11,000 were euthanized.

“An average shelter in Manhattan euthanizes between 70 and 80 animals a day,” Kaplan says.

Kaplan is working to combat this number. The project is funded through individual donations, grants, corporate sponsorships and local events. That pays for a small staff of licensed veterinarians and licensed veterinarian technicians and supplies. 

The Toby team, which also includes volunteers, performs surgeries on scheduled dates throughout Brooklyn and the Bronx in a van rented from Animal Care and Control for $1 per year.
Toby offers free surgeries for all cats, mixed-breed dogs, and pit bulls. Purebred dogs can receive services for a discounted price of $75, which is “well below the average” cost, which Kaplan says normally is around $275.

On a recent Monday morning, in front of the Pelham Parkway Petland Discounts, only 13 of the 21 pet owners were granted surgeries, due to space and time limitations.

Yaritza Ahuatl, 26, said she arrived at 5:40 a.m. to ensure surgery for her Chihuahua.

Elizabeth Bartman, 24, joined the line at 6:45 a.m. She visited Toby sites three times before, but this was the first time her cat, Socks, actually received surgery, something she said had become increasingly necessary. “Every time she would go into heat it would get worse and worse,” Bartman said.

Kaplan said spaying also prevents various cancers in females under two years of age. In other cats, the surgery helps decrease the chances of cancer. Additionally, each participant is given a free rabies shot, a four-day supply of pain medication to take home, and free medical advice.

In the past year, the Toby Project fixed 3,400 animals. Still, Kaplan says there is a long way to go. Kaplan says Toby is fund-raising to support four more trucks, which could amount to 25,000 more spays and neuters per year.

As they hustle around the inside of the van, shaving, medicating, fixing, and occasionally even playing with the pets, the Toby staff shows no sign of slowing down.

“I love this, it’s the best job ever,” said Lisa Ranallo, 40, who has worked with Toby since its inception. A licensed veterinary technician, Ranallo assists with the surgeries and also drives the Toby van. “Every day is rewarding,” she said amidst a cloud of animal hair, while shaving pets for surgery. “This is the best job ever.”

Ed. Note: To find out more about the Toby Project or to find out when they will be coming to your neighborhood, visit www.tobyproject.org.