Spay and neuter clinic reopening after ‘inaccurate’ closure messages

The Fort Erie SPCA’s spay and neuter clinic will begin taking appointments again on Tuesday, July 14, after a staffing shortage paused operations for a week.

The temporary closure sparked more confusion than the SPCA planned for, after an unauthorized email and text told clients the clinic was permanently closed over alleged “protocol breaches.”

“We want to assure everyone that this information was inaccurate,” the SPCA said in a statement posted to its social media Friday morning. “The Fort Erie spay and neuter clinic with basic care is not permanently closed and remains committed to serving our community.”

The same false closure claims appeared on the clinic’s website, forteriespayandneuter.ca, without the organization’s authorization. The SPCA has not said who sent the messages or how the claims ended up on the website.

The SPCA apologized for the confusion, frustration and concern the misinformative messages created.

One client asked under Friday’s post which messages could be trusted after receiving conflicting replies from the SPCA’s own Facebook account.

The SPCA answered that only Friday’s statement should be believed.

“The only post to believe is the one posted today, anything prior to that was false information and not at all authorized to be released,” Fort Erie SPCA wrote. “We are currently in the works of fixing all the misinformation that was released.”

When the clinic reopens Tuesday, the SPCA says its first priority will be rescheduling clients whose appointments were cancelled during the closure.

The clinic provides affordable spay and neuter surgeries and basic veterinary care to pets and families in Fort Erie.

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