With the news of the mass euthanasia at a Las Vegas shelter fresh in mind, there is no better time to remind people of the importance of spaying and neutering your pets- and to help keep this in people’s minds, the Humane Society of the United States has proclaimed February 27th Spay Day USA.
Millions of unwanted dogs and cats are euthanized every year- and as much as people like to think that many of them are unadoptable, it simply isn’t true. Puppies, kittens, purebreds, sweet loving family pets- no animal is guaranteed an “out” at the shelter. The need outweighs the number of available homes. A large burden falls on us to do what we can to help decrease these numbers, and you as a pet owner can do the single most important thing to help by spaying and neutering your pet.
There are many of good reasons to do this, health wise, behavior wise, and population control wise. There really aren’t very many good reasons not to. Unless you are an experienced breeder, you shouldn’t be breeding your pet. Period. Sorry, but true. And if you are looking into a purebred, please, please- consider animal rescue, petfinder.com, looking in the shelter before buying. If you are set on a puppy, look for an ETHICAL breeder. Backyard breeders abound, people in it for the profit and not the well being of their animals. And for all that is good in this world, whatever else you take from this please do not buy from a puppy store at the mall. They tell you their pets are from “good” breeders, and guess what? They are lying. (Though I suppose someone may know of an exception, I have yet to see it.) If you don’t know where to start, the lovely animal advocates in the pets forum here at constant chatter are a great resource, and member Gayle is herself an experienced breeder.
Spay Day USA is sponsoring events across the country during February and March, offering low cost spays and neuters. Please look at the link for the many ways you can contribute:
- by getting your pet spayed or neutered
- sponsoring the spay or neuter of a pet
- volunteering at a Spay Day event
It is a measure of a society to see how we treat our most helpless- including the domesticated animals we bring into this world to provide unconditional love and affection, in return for our stewardship.
jesvet
Great message! I couldn’t agree more. Love this:
“It is a measure of a society to see how we treat our most helpless- including the domesticated animals we bring into this world to provide unconditional love and affection, in return for our stewardship.”