Brandon Muncy - Kern Valley Sun

Woodrow Wallace Middle School students took the phrase 'care for your animals' to a whole new level. Monday morning students from Stephen Brucker's Leadership Class donated $150 to Sue Bennett, spay and neuter director of the Kern Humane Society.

Bennett gave a short presentation prior to accepting the check, expressing her appreciation for the students. 'Kern County has a very big situation with adoption,' Bennett said. 'The average family has 2.3 animals, and as a county, we have too many pets.

Sue Bennett of Kern Humane Society accepts a $150 donation from Wallace Middle School student Brandy Blevins on behalf of the school’s Leadership Class on Monday, April 7.

'People need to take care of animals. Once you take a life in your hands, it is your responsibility,' Bennett went on to say.

Wallace Middle School student Brandy Blevins played a large part in the donation, as all the donated money was made selling canvas bags to use instead of plastic bags. 'In science I am learning many different ways to protect our environment. This canvas bag will help all of us in small or big ways to help our world with recycling,' Blevins said. Blevins makes and sells the bags to help with the Humane Society's efforts to rescue animals. Blevins presented Bennett with her own canvas bag.

This is not the first organization that Brucker's class has donated to. In October, the Leadership Class held its first ever 'Pet Wash' and donated more than $500 worth of animal products to the Animal Shelter in South Lake.

The Kern Humane Society has been around for over 35 years. The society offers vouchers for families looking to spay or neuter their pets. Often times the vouchers will not cover the whole cost of the operation, but offer a good size discount. The society gave out more than 400 vouchers in 2007. If adopting a pet, the Kern Humane Society offers a voucher that will cover a large portion of the cost to neuter or spay a pet. New pet owners can pay as little as $40 for a newly adopted dog, or $20 for a newly adopted cat. In the society's 35 years they have spent over $1 million and have given away more than 700,000 vouchers to help cover animal spaying and neutering.

As part of the Kern Humane Society's demonstration of gratitude, Bennett made a very special offer to Woodrow Wallace Leadership students. In light of Brandy Blevins generous donation, any student could get their pet spayed or neutered for free.

The county has also experienced a growing number of Parvo cases in young dogs. Parvo, officially known as Parvovirus, is a virus that attacks the lining of the digestive system. If not treated in a timely matter, the disease could kill.

Anyone in the Kern River Valley who would like to get their pet spayed or neutered can contact the Kern Humane Society. Contact them at (661)325-2589.