AFV Spay/Neuter

It's almost unbelievable that, in a nation of animal lovers, three to four million animals are euthanized each year as a form of population control.

Each day in the U.S. 10,000 humans are born… and each day 70,000 puppies and kittens are born. As long as these birth rates exist, there will never be enough homes for all the animals.

The simple truth is, there is a simple solution...each one of us must spay and neuter our pets!

SIX COMMON EXCUSES
FOR NOT
SPAYING/NEUTERING

1. My pet will get fat and lazy. Pets that become fat and lazy after being altered usually are overfed and under exercised.

2. We want another pet just like Rover and Fluffy. You will rarely succeed in replicating the characteristics of a particular animal. Too many animals need homes to justify breeding for purely selfish reasons.

3. My pet's personality will change. Any change will be for the better. After alteration, pets become less aggressive towards other animals and less likely to wander. They also are less likely to mark their territory in undesirable areas, such as inside your house.

4. We can sell puppies or kittens to make money. Even professional breeders are lucky to break even by breeding purebreds. It is unconscionable to bring animals into an already severely overpopulated world. Any animal you find a home for will cause another to be euthanized.

5. My children should witness the miracle of birth. Breeding so your children can see the miracle of birth demands that they also see the tragic results. Take them to visit a shelter.

6. I am concerned about my pet being anesthetized. Anesthetics used today are very safe. The medical benefits of having your pet altered far outweigh the slight risk of the anesthesia. Discuss your concerns with your vet.

Pick up the classified section of almost any newspaper and you will see columns and columns of dogs and cats for sale. Many people cannot resist the temptation to breed their purebred animals. Some feel that, because their pet is purebred, they have some sort of obligation to breed him. Others think it is a way to make "easy" money. (Most breeders will tell you that breeding is not an easy road to riches!) Others want to see what Blackie or Fluffy's puppies or kittens will "look like." One lady I met at one of our adoption shows told me that her daughter talked her into letting the family cat have kittens because it would be a "fun" experience. After the kittens became old enough to be weaned, however, the lady wanted to turn the kittens in to AFV with my assurance that they "would not be put to sleep." The experience obviously did not turn out to be "fun" for the litter of kittens, nor for the kittens euthanized as a result of this family's irresponsible breeding.

Because as many as 30 per cent of animals in shelters are purebred, there is no need for anybody to breed his purebred pet. For every dog or cat born to animals whose guardians allow them to breed, a dog or cat in a shelter is euthanized, resulting in the deaths of millions of perfectly adoptable animals every year. Enjoy your pet, love him, spoil him; but, please, do not cause the death of other innocent animals by breeding yours.