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SPAY & NEUTER OUTREACH
Times are hard for companion animals. In the U.S. alone, millions of unwanted pets are euthanized each year simply because there are not enough homes for them. The economic crisis makes the situation worse. Dogs and cats are being surrendered at shelters in record numbers, and most organizations cannot handle the sheer volume of animals entering their doors. Some sobering facts:
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Eight to 10 million dogs and cats are given up to shelters annually. Local governments pay billions to euthanize a majority of these animals.
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Only 1 out of 10 shelter dogs gets a second chance to a loving home for life.
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Only 1 out of 600 pit bulls will find a home. The rest are euthanized, and that includes puppies.
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A single unspayed female dog and her descendants can produce 67,000 puppies in just seven generations.
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A single unspayed female cat, her mate and their offspring can produce a total of 420,000 kittens in just seven years.
The situation is tragic, yet it is preventable thanks to a simple procedure: spaying/neutering. C.A.R.E.4Paws collaborates with local vet clinics to offer free spays and neuters.
FREE Spay & Neuter Clinics
C.A.R.E.4Paws is arranging multiple free Spay Days in 2010 in partnership with local vet clinics and Santa Barbara County Animal Services Santa Maria Center. Our next Spay Day is scheduled for Sunday March 7 at Santa Barbara County Animal Services Santa Maria Center.
These services are available to low-income pet owners as well as local shelters and rescue groups. To sign up your dog or cat, contact us right away. Download our flyers in English or Spanish
Fix a Pit
As part of Project ResponsiBull—with the goal of reducing euthanasia rates and the high numbers of pit bulls living in shelters—our Fix a Pit program encourages pit bull owners to have their dogs spayed or neutered free of charge. Contact us so we can help you, or someone you know, spay or neuter your/their pit bull ASAP.
Humane Society Spay & Neuter Appointments
Our local Humane Societies in Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez and Santa Maria are open for weekday spay and neuter appointments at low cost. They also do low-cost vaccines, including rabies, and sell dog licenses.
For more low-cost alternatives in and around Santa Barbara County, visit gsroc.com and search for a clinic by area code.
What Exactly Is Spaying & Neutering?
Surgical sterilization is the removal of certain reproductive organs. In a female, the ovaries, oviducts and uterus are removed. The correct name for this procedure is ovariohysterectomy, commonly referred to as a spay. In a male animal, the testicles are removed in a procedure called an orchiectomy, more typically referred to as a castration.
Why Should You Spay/Neuter Your Pet?
Many people are surprised to learn that each year, more than four millions cats and dogs—about one every eight seconds— are euthanized in U.S. shelters, according to the Humane Society of the United Stated (HSUS).
Often these animals are the offspring of cherished family pets, even purebreds. Maybe someone's cat or dog got out just that one time or maybe the litter was intentional, but efforts to find enough good homes failed.
Still, the result is homeless animals that have to be euthanized because there are more dogs and cats entering shelters than there are people willing to provide them with loving care. Even if you do find homes for your pet's puppies or kittens, that means there are fewer homes available to take in other pets from shelters. Spay/neuter is the only permanent, 100-percent effective method of birth control for dogs and cats and a proven way to reduce the vast numbers of animals who are born only to die prematurely and without a family who loves them.
- Sterilized animals tend to roam less.
- Sterilized males are less likely to mark territory.
- Sterilized animals tend to be less aggressive and better socialized.
- Sterilized females will not develop uterine infections.
- Sterilized females have a greatly reduced risk of developing mammary cancer.
PLEASE don't breed while shelter animals die. By making sure that your pet can't have puppies or kittens, you'll have peace of mind that his or her offspring won't be euthanized in an animal shelter.
Myths & Misconceptions
"My pet will get fat" ... Obesity is controlled by diet and exercise and is not determined by a surgical procedure.
"My pet will get lazy" ... Exercise and play time will determine how playful your pet is. Pay attention to your pet, give him love, and he will stay a youngster for a long time to come.
"Surgery is dangerous" ... The total lifetime risks of spayed or neutered animals are actually reduced; they have a better chance of staying healthy for the rest of their lives. Plus, female animals will avoid the risks involved in bearing young.
"My brother wants a puppy from my dog, so it'll be easy to place the litter"... Maybe you can place one or two puppies (or kittens), but what about the other 2-8 litter mates? In most cases, there are not enough good homes to place the litter, which means most of these puppies and kittens are likely to end up in shelters and/or euthanized.
More Myths & Facts >>
Additional Resources:
For information on low-cost spaying and neutering, visit spayusa.org or call 800.248.SPAY (7729)
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