Over 35,000 animals saved

July is the height of puppy and kitten season, and all of our local rescues and shelters are struggling to handle the overwhelming number of unwanted pregnant animals and abandoned litters. AnimalSave, the Center for Animal Protection and Education (CAPE) and Sammie’s Friends are now partnering to expand the number of lower cost spay and neuter appointments available to our community.

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There are many compelling reasons to spay or neuter your pet. In doing so you can save the lives of many animals, as there are more puppies and kittens overpopulating shelters then there are people willing to provide them a loving home. For every cute puppy or kitten adopted, that’s one less home for less adoptable adult dogs. Early spays and neuters decrease unwanted behavioral problems, including dominance, aggression, being territorial, marking territory and wandering. Animals who are not spayed or neutered face threatening and costly medical conditions, including an increased risk of cancer and uterine infections for female dogs. According to a study by Spay USA, spayed and neutered dogs live an average of three to five years longer than unaltered dogs. Raising litters or puppies or kittens is very expensive and a lot of work. The Coalition’s mission also includes educating our community about the benefits of spaying and neutering, while combatting the misinformation that exists about these procedures.

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At Sammie’s Friends up to 90% of the animals taken in are not spayed and neutered, and before we adopt out a dog or cat, we are required by California law to spay and neuter them, often at a very high cost for spaying a large female dog. If we had fewer unaltered pets in our community, the shelters and rescues would not be overwhelmed.

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The reasons people are not spaying and neutering include the high costs and the difficulties in booking appointments at local veterinary practices, which are similarly overwhelmed trying to meet the needs of our community. Fewer people are attending vet school, so the shortage in veterinarians will continue to rise. According to a study conducted by the San Francisco SPCA, today almost 400,000 shelter animals do not have access to veterinary care staff and 40% of animal shelters cannot provide consistent access to spay and neuter services. Lack of access to veterinary care in shelters means animals wait longer for care, which leads to shelter overcrowding, increased disease spread and even euthanasia of animals who are healthy and treatable. Longer stays in shelters affect animals physically and also mentally. Sammie’s Friends itself provides several hundred thousand dollars each year for medical care to shelter animals, thanks to the generosity of our community. Animals in many other shelters, though, are not so fortunate.

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The Coalition has been formed to help our community find affordable and accessible spay and neuter services. Spaying dogs and cats at an early age (eight weeks and before four months of age when they can begin reproducing) will drastically reduce the number of animals entering shelters and rescues. As an initial step, Animal Save is expanding the number of lower cost spay and neuter appointments for our community. The Coalition is also working on additional funding to further expand local spay and neuter services.

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To schedule an appointment, please contact AnimalSave at 530-477-1706. To learn more about the benefits of spaying and neutering your pet, please see www.animalsave.org/spay-neuter-clinic. Sammie’s Friends also provides vouchers to reduce the cost of these procedures (www.sammiesfriends.org). Pound Puppy Rescue (www.poundpuppyrescue.org) provides additional financial support for certain breeds, such as pit bills, huskies, malamutes and chihuahuas.

Please help us clear out our shelters and rescues by spaying or neutering your pets.

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