DON'T LITTER--SPAY/NEUTER YOUR PET!!

How far are we willing to go to convince pet owners of the importance of fixing their animals? As far as we have to! Each year an estimated 15 million animals are euthanised in the United States alone because there are too many people out there that don't understand the problem of overpopulation. Their excuses? You don't want to know. They "develop allergies" (really), their new boy/girlfriend "doesn't like animals", "we're moving", "we didn't know the animal would be this much work", "we're having a baby", "I'm done with college now and am going home--I can't take the dog/cat with me!", "the cat scratched the baby" (or did the baby hit the cat, or were you not keeping an eye on either?), and my favourite, "it's not cute anymore and my son/daughter wants a kitten/puppy". Believe it or not, people think these are valid reasons for dumping off their animal, an animal they swore to love and protect when they acquired it, and now they want to leave it to an unknown fate in an already overcrowded shelter. As if it's someone else's responsibility. Some people reply, "at lease I didn't just dump them somewhere," and it's true to a degree, but then what were they thinking when they got the animal?? This site is an attempt to inform and educate people about the care and responsibility it is to have a animal. They aren't "things" that you acquire that you can discard when they outgrow their purpose...these are living creatures that depend on our kindness and love. That's why they're domesticated in the first place.

A few myths about spay/neutering your animal:

• They'll get fat and lazy. Um, they'll only get fat and lazy if you overfeed them and don't exercise them. Besides, compared to the alternative, so what?
• My male cat won't be male anymore./My female cat will never experience the joy of birthing kittens. Too many animals are at stake here: male cats don't have a sexual identity or ego to worry about, so what they don't know won't hurt them. And neutered tomcats are less likely to get into fights, spray, or be aggressive. Female cats don't need the experience of birthing kittens; some don't make it through the birthing process. And all those unwanted kittens that are born and you think are so cute? How cute will they be after getting hit by a car, attacked by another animal, or put to sleep at a shelter?
• My kids want to see the miracle of life in action--they want to witness a birth. Rent them a video! I know they're out there because my parents did that for me. They also explained why we were having our animals fixed, and even at the age of five I agreed that no kittens was better than a litter of unwanted kittens. For every kitten that you want to see born, you're taking the lives of that same amount by overpopulating the shelters and humane programmes.
• I don't have the money--it's too expensive. If you think that a one-time price tag is more expensive than an accumulation of vet bills for check-ups, medicines, and care for each puppy/kitten in the litter, then you should rethink it. There are plenty of low cost spay/neuter clinics available across the country. Here's a list of resources,or call the number at the bottom. You can also ask your local vet.