The Cheyenne Animal Shelter described growing public demand for low-cost vaccine and spay/neuter services and outlined how partnerships and scheduling changes have increased capacity.

Britney Tennant, CEO of the Cheyenne Animal Shelter, said the shelter has expanded vaccine clinics from roughly twice a year to twice a month and that those events typically vaccinate 100 to 150 owned pets. "On those vaccine days, we do ask people to schedule an appointment. We have an online appointment scheduling system... But to be honest, most people still aren't scheduling their appointment, and the line for these vaccines is often out the door," Tennant said.

For spay and neuter operations, Tennant said the shelter reorganized clinic days into 'all cat' and 'all dog' days to increase efficiency. She reported capacities of about 45 cat surgeries and 25 dog surgeries on typical spay/neuter clinic days, aided by contract veterinarians brought in with financial support from the BISSELL Pet Foundation.

The shelter said recruitment of interns from the CSU veterinary program and volunteering by local private clinics also helps run high-volume events. Tennant said spay/neuter clinic registration typically fills within five minutes of opening online sign-ups. She added that while the clinics often operate at a loss per procedure, they reduce long-term shelter intake and medical cost by keeping pets in homes and preventing unwanted litters.

The council discussed volunteer and outreach opportunities and the ways the clinics connect residents to long-term private veterinary care. Tennant said the shelter hopes to expand capacity but is limited by facility space and veterinary staff availability.