Bless the individuals who give back to society!
People have different reasons why they do charitable works. It can stem from their personal experiences or get inspired by someone’s life. Their desire to reach out to needy is so intense that they wanted to raise awareness about it.
Veterinarian Dr. Andrew Kaplan lives at the Upper West Side in New York City. Dr. Kaplan caters to the needs of the rich and the affluent on weekdays, but on weekends, he is a doctor to the underprivileged who provides neuter and spaying services for free.
Yes, you read it right, Dr. Kaplan operates on dogs and cats for free!
Spay and neuter services may cost between $35-120 depending on the weight of the dog. The amount may be costly for some families that is why Dr. Kaplan’s initiative is a great help to those families who cannot afford medical services for their pets.
Dr. Kaplan started providing free services when he adopted a dog who was on a kill list. The dog was about to be put to sleep the following day, but Dr. Kaplan took his chances of bringing the dog home, which was considered unadoptable due to its aggressive behavior.
Dr. Kaplan named the dog Toby, and they become the best of friends. Toby lived a beautiful life until he passed away in 2009 at the age of 13.
After Toby’s death, Dr. Kaplan decided to start the Toby Project.
The Toby Project is a mobile clinic offering free spay and neuter services for the pets of the families living in impoverished areas. The Toby Project consists of a team of surgeons who voluntarily does these services for free.
By providing free neuter and spay services, Dr. Kaplan hopes that the number of animals on the kill list will decrease. The free neuter and spay services will also limit the number of pets being surrendered to the shelters because owners can no longer take care of them.
The Toby Project aims to end the killing of around 10,000 dogs and cats in New York City. Since 2009, the team has neutered and spayed 54 dogs and cats, which can eliminate more than 500,000 offsprings in five years.
Dr. Kaplan’s team is doing an excellent in improving the welfare of pet owners in New York City.
We are excited to hear more updates about the Toby Project in the coming days. Congratulations, Dr. Kaplan!
Photos courtesy of The Toby Project via Facebook
