Local group offers free spay and neuter program

Leonard Rogers knows what it's like to be down and out.

"I was homeless," explained the Kansas City, Missouri, resident. "I know what it's like living out there on the streets."

That's why when he found Hostage, his 2-year-old pit bull, he took him in. That was a year ago. Around the same time he also found a 5-week-old kitten, who he named Baby Cat. Now they both live at his home with him and his girlfriend.

"It's companionship - someone to talk to when ain't nobody around," he said of Hostage. "It don't matter what kind of a day you're having, this guy here - even if he's having a bad day. It's all cool you know. It's all gravy."

MORE INFO: Learn more about low cost spay, neuter programs

But soon, Rogers realized he couldn't care for Hostage or Baby the way they deserved. The dog and cat needed vaccines and to be sterilized. Rogers, who is disabled, couldn't afford either.

"I didn't want to have any more animals around here than what he could afford to feed," said Monica, Rogers' girlfriend. "There were times he was feeding the dog and he wasn't eating because he was too worried about the dog."

That's when his Monica reached out to Spay & Neuter Kansas City.

"There are a lot of people out there who can't afford them yet they need companionship," said Monica. "They are lonely. They don't have someone else to depend on. All they have is that dog or that cat." 

"We all struggle," said Roberts. "We all have hardships. Don't be fast to judge situations you see in the public. Some families are doing the best they can with what they have and they need a little help to get over that hump."

Spay and Neuter KC said offering this service to people who otherwise can't afford it is a win for everyone because it lowers the number of animals that end up in shelters or being euthanized, and it keeps families - both two- and four-legged - together.

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