Lurie Spay/Neuter Clinic Seeds Chicago’s No Kill Transformation

Across the world there are living testaments to Ann Lurie’s heroism in the thousands upon thousands of lives she has touched through her hard work, her ceaseless philanthropy, and her inspiration to others who have resources to give. In Africa, she founded Africa Infections Disease (AID) Village Clinics, providing medical care and education to the Maasai people in rural Kenya and she has funded 30 rural schools in northern Ethiopia through One Love Africa. In Chicago, the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University and the Robert H. Lurie Medical Research Center are treating today’s cancer patients and researching cures for the future, while the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, currently under construction, will combine innovation, technology and proximity to top specialists in its location on the Northwestern University’s Streeterville medical campus. Her gift launched the Greater Chicago Food Depository Campaign and she co-founded Gilda’s Club to help develop support networks for the friends and families of cancer patients. And the Little Village based Lurie Family Spay/Neuter Clinic, offering low-cost and free surgeries for the pets of low-income families, will be largely responsible for eliminating the city’s pet overpopulation and building a No Kill Chicago within the next five years.

In early 2000, Ann saw the need and potential for a free and low-cost spay/neuter clinic in an under-resourced part of Chicago, and she made the leadership gift to the Lurie Family Spay/Neuter Clinic. It was the first major undertaking for PAWS Chicago, an organization that was launched with the Angels with Tails adoption event along Michigan Avenue and Oak Street in 1998. The purpose of this adoption event was to bring attention to the massive killing of homeless pets in Chicago, where 42,561 pets were euthanized in 1997 alone. While PAWS Chicago continued weekend adoption events around the city, founder Paula Fasseas knew that adoptions alone would never solve the problem of homeless pets if a never-ending stream of pets continued to enter the sheltering system.

The Spay/Neuter Clinic provides an option and pet owners are obviously taking advantage of the service. It’s great to see that the concept works.

However, fundraising for spay/neuter was a challenging task. While people were generously contributing to savings homeless pets after they saw their sweet, innocent faces in need of help, donating funds to spay/neuter was less tangible. Ann Lurie, however, saw the importance and made the connection between spay/neuter and saving lives. “I believe in the PAWS Chicago mission,” says Ann, whose love for animals traces back to her childhood. “I was an only child, so dogs were very much my ‘friends’.  I was one of those really sensitive kids who would weep at the plight of a sick or injured animal.”

Her sensitivity to animal issues has continued throughout her life, which is evident when she comments on what inspired her to become involved with PAWS Chicago: “I do not believe it is humane or human to euthanize a living creature because his owner no longer wants him or to euthanize animals who, for some reason, have fallen into the hands of the system.” In just less than nine years, the Lurie Clinic’s results are remarkable. Every year, the Clinic performs more surgeries, and the number of homeless pets killed in the city has precipitously fallen by more than 50%, to less than 20,000 pets each year.

The effect that spay/neuter has had on pet overpopulation is clear in comparative maps (see below) that reflect the number of stray calls by Chicago ward in 2001 and present day. After seeing the maps, Ann commented, “Prior to inception of the Lurie Clinic, a large number of strays and abandoned animals came from the neighborhoods bordering the clinic. Now that trend has changed completely.” She continued, “I believe most people want to take care of their pets, but for many, especially in the current economic climate, paying full price for a spay or neuter is just not an option. The Spay/Neuter Clinic provides an option and pet owners are obviously taking advantage of the service. It’s great to see that the concept works.”

On her recent visit to the Lurie Clinic, Ann formed a special connection with Willoughby, a seven-year-old English Setter (seen in his suite in the Abbott Treatment Wing on page 39.) She is no stranger to falling for dogs. “Every time I visit any of the PAWS Chicago facilities or participate in events, I am first moved emotionally by the animals who need homes,” Ann continues, “but a strong second sentiment is appreciation for the passion of the volunteers and employees who work to make life more comfortable for the animals in the care of PAWS Chicago.”

Ann Lurie’s vision in the founding years of PAWS Chicago has led to a transformation in the sheltering system for the city’s homeless pets. “Helping to care for animals who are helpless and unable to take care of themselves is a wonderfully gratifying experience,” says Lurie. “I hope more and more people will consider becoming involved in this initiative.”

Thank you, Ann, for believing in PAWS Chicago and the No Kill vision and serving as an inspiration to engage many other pet-lovers in animal issues.

The Dramatic Decline of Stray Calls in the City of Chicago

When PAWS Chicago plotted the number of stray calls to Animal Control by ward in 2001, it was clear that pet overpopulation correlated with low-income communities. After revisiting the number of stray calls in 2008, it is clear that the Lurie Clinic has made a significant impact by offering free and subsidized spay/neuter for pets of families who could not otherwise afford the procedure. From 2001 to 2008, the number of wards with more than 600 stray calls (in red) declined from 17 to five.