On this, the last Tuesday of February, World Spay Day shines a spotlight on the lifesaving power of spay/neuter and the need for affordable services, particularly in under served communities.

Nearly 3 million healthy and treatable cats and dogs are put down in U.S. shelters each year (including nearly 20,000 right here in Allegheny County). That’s one every 12 seconds. These are sweet pets who would have made great companions. Internationally, millions of stray animals roam the streets. Too often, governments deal with this overpopulation through cruel means, such as poisoning, electrocution and shooting.

We at Animal Friends know the only way to end unwarranted euthanasia of companion animals is through aggressive spay and neuter programs. Spay/neuter is an effective and humane way to save animals’ lives. Spaying (for females) and neutering (for males) are common surgeries veterinarians perform to stop animals from having accidental, surplus litters. 

Our Low-Cost Spay/Neuter department works with our community to offer affordable spay and neuter surgeries. In addition to offering low-cost surgeries on-site at our shelter, we partner with many community veterinary clinics. Last year, Animal Friends altered over 10,000. We hope to alter another 10,000 in 2015.

Together we can solve the problem of pet overpopulation. If you know a friend or family member that could benefit from our vaccine clinics or spay/neuter services, please tell them to visit www.ThinkingOutsideTheCage.org/LCSN or call 412.847.7004.

Thank you to www.WorldSpayDay.org for information found in this blog.