Editor's Note

Editor’s Note

By Jennifer Martin

Spay Day USA is celebrating its 11-year anniversary on February 22. This exceptionally humane event is an aggressive national campaign to provide spay/neuter surgery to all unaltered companion animals who aren’t specifically used for breeding purposes. Veterinarians across the country voluntarily lower their charges for the surgery, and animal shelters ask for the public’s help in rounding up stray animals or pets who need to be sterilized. This is a chance for everyone to make a difference.

If you’re wondering why there’s such a massive push for this surgery, it’s because 4 to 5 million dogs, cats, kittens, and puppies are euthanized at shelters across the United States every year. Some are dangerous, sick, or otherwise unadoptable, but most are good-natured pets who are no different from your own dog or cat. There simply aren’t enough homes for them all. Most are put to death by humane injection; some are still placed in barbaric gas chambers, which can take up to 30 seconds or more to kill them. Regardless of how they’re killed, their loss is a tragedy. If you’ve ever seen an animal euthanized, you’ll know why many shelter workers cry virtually every day of their lives.

But you can help: Go to www.ddaf.org to see a list of Spay Day activities in your area. Also, check out the Pets 911 website, www.pets911.com, or call (888) Pets-911. You’ll find participating shelters that are looking for assistance. (You can also find shelters on page 33.) Or you can offer to cover the surgery for a cash-strapped neighbor or relative.

Here are some eye-opening facts about pet overpopulation:

• Every day in the United States, 10,000 humans are born; by comparison, 50,000 puppies and kittens are born.

• An unspayed female cat and her offspring can produce 420,000 descendants in just seven years.

• An unspayed female dog and her offspring can produce 67,000 descendants in six years.

• Every year, U.S. taxpayers spend $2 billion to capture, house, and euthanize stray animals at shelters.

Read on for some myths about spaying and neutering:

• “Spaying or neutering will make my pet fat” – Actually, diet and exercise determine a pet’s fitness, not spay/neuter surgery.

• “Spaying or neutering is hard on a pet” – Most pets bounce back quickly from this surgery. In fact, they’re usually ready to play the next day, so it can be hard to keep them quiet and still! Painkillers help relieve any discomfort.

• “Giving birth is natural; sterilizing a pet is unnatural.” Giving birth repeatedly is actually quite hard on a female animal and can shorten her lifespan. On the other hand, a sterilized animal is less vulnerable to cancer of the reproductive system. Also, the animal is less likely to roam and fall victim to dangers like traffic, coyotes, and cruel people.

• “Neutering will make my dog less protective” – A dog’s protective instinct is not in any way lessened by neutering. Any dog will protect his family.

• “My pet is a purebred, so I should breed it” – It’s best to leave this work to professional breeders, who are trained to recognize and manage potential genetic problems.

• “My cat is just a kitten; she doesn’t need the surgery.” – A female cat can breed as young as four to five months old. It only takes once for her to slip out of your house, and you could wind up with a pregnant cat.

For more information:

The Doris Day Animal Foundation, www.ddaf.org

The Bill Foundation, www.BillFoundation.org

The Humane Society of the United States, www.HSUS.org

American Cat Fanciers Association, www.acfacat.com