There is such a thing as too much of a good thing. Just ask Mary Smith, assistant women's basketball coach at DePauw University.

Smith already was well aware of statistics from the Humane Society of the United States indicating that in six years one female dog and her offspring can be the source of 67,000 puppies and that in seven years, one female cat and her offspring can produce 420,000 kittens.

She also was familiar with one Humane Society of Indianapolis statistic estimating that for every one person who is born, 15 dogs and 45 cats are born.

But it was an unsuccessful attempt to find homes for three stray dogs that she ended up keeping herself that finally drove her to act.

"One hand short, I was already over my limit," she said. "It pained me to know more homeless pets waited right around the corner."

Smith ultimately decided to combine two of her loves -- basketball and dogs -- and she established the Kid's Best Friend Basketball Camp.

In July, Smith, along with DePauw head women's basketball coach Kris Huffman and members of the women's basketball team, hosted 65 campers during the seventh annual edition of the day camp. Weaved among the more traditional aspects of a basketball camp were presentations from a local veterinarian, a dog trainer and two police deputy K-9 handlers and their dogs.

Each year, Smith secures sponsorships for the camp so that all proceeds from camp tuition directly fund a program in which local pet owners are eligible to receive $20 off the cost of getting their dog or cat spayed or neutered. Open to all residents in Putnam County, Indiana, where DePauw's host city of Greencastle is, the camp is the sole source of funds for the spay/neuter project.

"I recognized a need and thought about a way to help the stray situation while also giving local kids a good, affordable experience," Smith said.

She said the money can be viewed as a reward or an incentive for owners to take care of their pets.

"We thought that whether it be an incentive for getting it done or a reward for people who were already going to get it done, we really wanted to help those pets that were currently at residences," she said.

Former DePauw women's basketball player and camp volunteer Dana Ferguson said she joined the effort because she enjoys working with kids, and also because she saw the need.

"When I came to DePauw my freshman year, I did see the pet overpopulation problem. It seemed everywhere you looked on campus, there was some animal running loose," she said.

Ferguson, who graduated in May, said over the last couple of years, she has seen the number of stray animals fall drastically.

"I feel that the camp has been very effective in preventing pet overpopulation in our city and the rest of the county. It's amazing to see just how many people have benefited from this program," she said.

The numbers bear out Ferguson's observations. To date, 672 dogs and cats have gone through the program.

Although the program currently only services Putnam County, Smith is interested in trying to expand the program to more counties and more states in the coming years.

"Regardless of where people are on the pet spectrum, whether they love them, don't like them or are somewhere in between, the spay/neuter issue is a positive one," Smith said. "How many times do you find an issue that favors all sides?