DID YOU KNOW?
- Everyday in the US about 10,000 people are born, estimates are that more than 70,000 animals are born.
- Of the 25.5 million animals born, we killed approximately 11 million. Almost half.
- 25 percent of the dogs entering shelters are purebreds.
- 61 % of all dogs and 75 % of all cats entering shelters are destroyed.
- An animal is euthanized every 1.5 seconds, that’s 10 animals in the time it took you to read this statement.
- In a study, 55% of the surrendered dogs and 47 % of the cats were unaltered.
- It costs the US taxpayers an estimated $2 billion each year to round up, house, kill, and dispose of homeless animals.
- The top reason both cat guardians and dog guardians give for not having their pet altered is that they simply have not bothered to do it yet.
- Twenty percent of cat guardians think their cat is too young to be altered, and 18% say they are not able to afford spay/neuter surgery.
- Twenty-one percent of dog guardians want to breed their dog, and 13% think their dog is too young to be altered.
- Tens of millions of stray and feral cats struggle to survive on their own outdoors. Although some are altered and live in managed colonies, most are not altered and receive no health care. They reproduce at will and many suffer from illness or injury before dying.
- Over half (56%) of dog guardians and nearly two-thirds (63%) of cat guardians rank pet overpopulation as the most important pet issue.
- Spaying a dog or cat eliminates her heat cycle. The heat cycle, called estrus, lasts an average of 6 – 12 days, often twice a year in dogs; three or more times a year in cats. Females cats in heat can cry incessantly, show nervous behavior, and attract unwanted males.
- Neutering a male makes them less likely to mark their territory. Neutering at a young age often eliminates this behavior.
- Females are less likely to develop cancer or pyometris, a common uterine infection in unaltered females. If spayed before her first heat, a female is 200 times less likely to develop breast cancer.
- Males are less likely to suffer infections or disorders in the reproductive or prostate glands or develop urinary problems, which can lead to kidney disease, the most common problem in unaltered males over five years old.
- Neutering an older dog can often help curb problematic behavior. It is possible and beneficial to alter older pets.
Myths about Spaying and Neutering
- My pet will be better adjusted if I let her have one litter before she is spayed.
- Having a litter doesn’t make your pet more well adjusted. Proper training and upbringing does that.
- My pet will become fat and lazy after they are altered.
The greatest factor in pets becoming fat and lazy is overfeeding and under-activity. A sensible diet with little or no “people food” or “table scraps” and a reasonable amount of exercise are the surest ways to keep your pets slim, trim and healthy. Same goes for their owners. - It is too expensive to fix my pet.
Spay Arkansas has established the NWA Spay and Neuter clinic to offer affordable spay and neuters to our community as a service, there is no profit to anyone for opening this clinic. If you are privileged to enjoy an economically stable household, you are encouraged to use your local vet to have your pet altered. They need to make a living and your support of their work is encouraged and appreciated. - I have a male dog, I don’t need to get him fixed because he can’t have puppies.
It takes both male and female animals to produce a litter, and truthfully, it is just as important to neuter males, since they can father litters every day of the year, and sometimes father many litters per day. Males can roam and often escape their home to reach a fertile female. Your pet could get lost or injured in his quest to find the female in heat. - I want to breed my pet, because I want another just like him/her.
A dog or cat may be a great pet, but that doesn’t mean her offspring will be a carbon copy. Professional animal breeders who follow generations of bloodlines can’t guarantee they will get just what they want out of a particular litter. True professional breeders know what characteristics they are looking for in a perfect animal. Rarely does the average person have the knowledge to accomplish this task and often some of the worst traits are breed and you end up with a pet that has deformities that lead to a lifelong painful existence. - My children should experience the miracle of birth.
Only if you can have the children there at the exact time the pet delivers. Pets often seek solitude for this special time in their life, away from noisy children and household activities. Contact your breeder, or your veterinarian and ask if they are expecting any litters anytime soon, and arrange to have it video taped or to attend it in person. And while you are educating about life, take time to take a trip to your local shelter and educate your children about the death of millions of unwanted pets as well. Where there is life, there is death, and its certainly a fact that we all have to deal with. - If my pet has puppies/kittens, I will be able to give them to family or friends, or at local flea markets or stores.
And we all have time to sit in front of a store begging someone to take our pet?s How many times have we seen Craig lists ads stating they are going to the shelter if I can’t give them away TODAY? If you give them away to strangers, are you sure they are going to a good home? Will they spay/neuter the pet? Will they give proper shelter, care and love? - My dog is a purebred, so I can make money by selling puppies.
One in every four dogs in a shelter is a purebred. People buy purebred dogs without doing the proper research on the breed, or because the breed is “cute” or is made popular by a current movie or TV show. Breeding dogs and cats is rarely a money making experience, especially if you give the mother a proper rest which means one breeding cycle every 18 months. There are the veterinary bills, shots, food, and advertising costs. There is also the time spent caring for the puppies and kittens and showing them to prospective owners. People who offer pets at a few hundred dollars each are most likely not giving their parents the medical care that they need. - But my pet is a purebred, and he/she has papers that means they are breeding quality, right?
This quote was taken from the AKC website :”There is a widely held belief that “AKC” or “AKC papers” and quality are one and the same. This is not the case. AKC is a registry body. A registration certificate identifies the dog as the offspring of a known sire and dam, born on a known date. It in no way indicates the quality or state of health of the dog. Quality in the sense of “show quality” is determined by many factors including the dog’s health, physical condition, ability to move and appearance. Breeders breeding show stock are trying to produce animals that closely resemble the description of perfection described in the breed standard. Many people breed their dogs with no concern for the qualitative demands of the breed standard. When this occurs repeatedly over several generations, the animals, while still pure-bred, can be of extremely low quality.”That means that just because you have papers on your dog, doesn’t mean that it is of breeding quality. If your dog is proven in the show ring and in the field, and free of any genetic or inherited defects, then and only then is that dog of sound breeding quality. Also keep in mind, that 25% of animals that are turned into shelters each year and euthanized are PUREBRED ANIMALS.
- I want my dog to be protective.
Spaying or neutering does not affect a dog’s natural instinct to protect home and family. A dog’s personality is formed more by genetics and environment than by sex hormones. Most pets will be more reliable and responsible after neutering and are often easier to train because of stabilized hormones. What makes a male dog a good guard dog is training, not hormones.
Spay Arkansas is registered as a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, founded in 2007
