Tomorrow, Tuesday, February 23, 2010, marks the 16th annual “Spay Day,” a campaign initiated by the Humane Society of the United States designed to highlight the importance of spaying and neutering pets. Spaying and neutering is critical for saving animal lives and reducing the amount of homeless animals who have to struggle for survival in inhospitable conditions. In the U.S., there are an estimated 6-8 million homeless animals that are brought to animal shelters every year. About half of these animals are adopted, and tragically, the other half are euthanized. Most people are shocked to learn that 3 million pets are needlessly killed each year in the United States due to overcrowding of animal shelters. These are healthy, sweet pets who would have made great companions.
Find a Spay Day Event near you (CLICK HERE)>>
Find additional information, including the history of Spay Day, current news and articles, Spay Day Action Kit, How to Participate, and more HERE>>
To raise awareness and funds for Spay Day, the Humane Society of the United States is hosting a Pet Photo Contest, accepting submissions through Feb. 26: “Participants can upload digital photos of their furry friend and tell the world how their pet has improved their lives. Entrants are encouraged to share their pet’s photo and story with their friends and family and ask them to vote for their pet (each vote is just a $1 donation toward the eligible organization of the entrant’s choice). Every vote their pet receives will help spay and neuter animals around the world.” The prizes are pretty cool too! One Grand Prize winner will win a studio session with Amanda Jones, one of the country’s top pet photographers, a $500 shopping spree at the HSUS’ official online store: Humane Domain, and a copy of “Pet Photography 101: Tips for taking better photos of your dog or cat” by Andrew Darlow.
Many nationwide events are occurring tomorrow, Feb. 23, and throughout the month of February (some into March) which include subsidized and low-cost spaying and neutering hosted by animal rescue groups, veterinarians, city- and county-run animal service agencies, private humane societies, and humanitarian-focused organizations. There are over 500 events scheduled within the U.S. this year, and Spay Day is not localized to the U.S. alone: Internationally, more than 80 events in 43 countries are planned, providing life-saving spay/neuter services to more than 40,000 animals around the globe.
You can find a Spay Day event occurring near you by clicking HERE!
Many people choose not to spay or neuter their pet for a variety of reasons, but most would never believe that their pet would have unplanned offspring that could become unwanted shelter pets, or worse, euthanized. However, the reality is that every time the dog finds his way out of the yard or under the fence to visit the neighbor’s female dog, or the indoor/outdoor male cat goes out “on the prowl,” and finds his way to a feral female cat, the result is an unwanted, and sometimes unknown, litter of dogs or cats. Even if the puppies or kittens are placed into homes, it is still possible for them to reproduce further if they are not spayed or neutered, or to wind up in shelters if there are simply too many animals to handle, and the sad cycle continues. The only way to reduce the amount of needless and tragic animal euthanizations is to spay or neuter your pets, as this is the only foolproof method of birth control for animals.
