Cookies for Contraception: ACHS Bake Sale Part of Spay Day USA

The table on the first floor of Baker Center was littered with brownies, cookies, muffins, breads and other baked goodies. Holly Koprowski, an organizational communication major and ACHS volunteer, sat behind the table with a tin box for donations in front of her. During the 15 minutes I sat talking with her, at least three people stopped by the table, some donating money in exchange for a tasty treat and some just donating money.

"I think they come more for the cause than anything else," Koprowski said. "It's puppies and kittens!"

The bake sale, sponsored by the Ohio University Pre-Veterinarian program, was the ACHS's contribution to Spay Day USA, an annual event held by the Humane Society of the United States. The event occurs every year on the last Tuesday in February, and humane societies across the country participate in order to encourage pet owners to spay and neuter their pets.

Even though the ACHS has held many successful bake sales in the past, Koprowski had a bad dream the night before that left her feeling anxious about the event. However, her nerves were quickly quieted thanks to an outpouring of support from the university community. The bake sale, which also had a sign-up sheet for two different t-shirts advocating getting pets fixed, brought in $250 for the society.

"It was a lot more successful than I thought," Koprowski said. All of the money earned at the event went to sponsoring animals and the ACHS's mobile spay and neuter clinics. The treats, which were on sale form 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on February 24, were donated by the National Communication Association Student Club, the Pre-Veterinarian program, the ACHS and any friends that could be convinced to participate.

We just asked everyone we knew to bake something, said Koprowski, a lifetime animal lover thanks in part to her mother's job as a veterinarian's assistant. "We want to raise just as much as we can for the clinic and for Spay Day USA."

ACHS volunteer Holly Koprowski mans the bake sale table for Spay Day USA

Getting both male and female animals fixed is an important part of pet ownership that is often disregarded. Spaying or neutering pets can help with behavioral problems and prevents unwanted litters that can become a financial burden. In fact, the biggest portion of the ACHS's budget goes to ensuring pets in the region can get the operation. Humane society volunteers, however, aren't the only ones concerned about getting animals fixed. A YouTube video created by the Alliance for Humane Action and posted on the ACHS's Web site shows a more...unique... point of view...