The Calaveras Humane Society has teamed up with local veterinarians to provide pet owners with the chance to have their pets spayed and neutered for free, on selected dates this spring until September, but early bookings have left only a few openings.

Three veterinary hospitals-in Arnold, Murphys and just outside Angels Camp-have offered Spay Days free of charge. It’s a spin-off of the national Doris Day Spay Day program offered in February of each year, but Calaveras’ plan provides greater flexibility for people to come to clinics at their convenience.

A number of the clinics have already filled: the March 18 and Nov. 11 clinics at the Motherlode Veterinary Hospital in Murphys filled quickly, as did the April 30 clinic at Angels Camp Veterinary Hospital and the June 18 clinic at Arnold Pet Clinic.

Space is extremely limited, however, two clinics still have openings. The clinic dates remaining are:

-July 30, at Angels Camp Veterinary Hospital. Call 736-0488.

-Sept. 17 at Arnold Pet Clinic. Spaying and neutering of cats, only neutering of dogs. Call 795-4471.

Castration for male animals, or spaying for females, are routine operations but still considered major abdominal surgery, said Dr. Michael Hayes with the Angels Camp Veterinary Clinic. Animals must undergo general anesthesia and be monitored after the removal of their reproductive organs until they sufficiently recover. The effects of the anesthesia can take 36 hours for some larger animals to recover. Fees for spaying or neutering animals in the full-service program at the Angels Camp facility normally range from $93.50 for cat castrations to $335.25 for spaying a female dog 120 pounds or heavier.

Each vet hospital has its own range of prices for services. It’s the economical, reduced fee program that’s on offer for free at the Angels Camp hospital. The free offer includes anesthesia and surgery, but not pre-surgical lab work, overnight hospitalization, follow-up suture removal and rechecks, monitoring of cardio-pulmonary circulation and catheter and fluids. Normally, prices for this program range from $71.75 for feline castration to $275.50 for female dogs more than 120 pounds, with prices dependent on the sex and weight of the dog.

“The idea behind the clinics is to provide a venue for economically disadvantaged people in the population who have an animal that needs to be altered or neutered, to bring their pet in,” said Hayes. “Otherwise, the animals continue to overpopulate the pound with unwanted litters. So the price pet owners pay-which is nothing-is but a small reduction in the state of the art of neutering. At least here they’re getting the opportunity to get no-cost service. And getting their animals spayed or castrated is the responsible thing for an animal owner to do, with the exception of breeders, of course.

“But a lot of people have a dog running around the neighborhood,” Hayes continued. “Part of it is ignorance, part misinformation. But it’s absolutely phenomenal the number of unwanted and stray animals that are presented to Animal Services in San Andreas.”

Four to six months is the ideal age to have a dog or cat neutered, before females’ first heat or the sexual maturity of males, Hayes said. However, animals may be spayed or neutered up to five years of age at the Angels Camp hospital.

Dogs must be on leashes or in crates, and cats must be crated or in cage-traps, during the visit to the clinic. Check with the veterinary hospital for more information about specific rules and requirements at its location.