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02.18.10 - Spay Day is Feb 23

Diesel is a playful, housetrained Lab mix who is just a year old. He is happy go lucky, enjoys people and other dogs. He knows sit and is eager to learn more. (Photo by Richard Labunski) Adopt at woodfordhumane.org.

by Kim Thomas

You love your dog; you love your cat. But if you haven’t yet had them spayed or neutered, pick up the phone and make an appointment today. February 23 is Spay Day USA, and overpopulation is the single most important challenge facing Animal Lovers. It’s easy to dismiss or postpone the importance of spaying or neutering our own dogs and cats. We recycle. We give to the local Humane Societies. But in fact, if all pet owners were to have their pet altered today, there would be no need for animal shelters within just a few years. We cannot adopt our way out of the overpopulation problem which results in the euthanasia of healthy pets, which is something nobody wants to think about. National Spay Day (the last Tuesday of February) was begun by the Doris Day Animal Foundation, and is observed by humane societies all over the country, including Lexington Humane and Woodford Humane.

DeeDee Lloyd, Spay/Neuter Chair of the Woodford Humane Society, can cite a long list of statistics, but it’s her stories that are the most compelling. Her dog Jackson is one success. She says,

“Several years ago I got a call from a lady in Cardinal Hill Hospital whose boyfriend lived down on Lake Cumberland, but had been in jail for 6 weeks. He had 19 dogs in the town of Jabez. Could I please help? In the meantime I got a call from their local animal control officer saying that the dogs were very dangerous and aggressive and they were going in to shoot them. A friend and I hooked up the horse trailer, borrowed lots of dog crates and headed down the highway. When we arrived, we were met by lots of growling and barking dogs running loose. Some were tied to trees, some were in the house and some were in pens outside and all were very large. On the side of the house, in red drooling paint, it said ‘enter and die.’ The hardest thing was making the decision to get out of the truck. To make a long story short, we managed to remove all the dogs from that horrible place, which was a drug house. Where in the world could we take them? The shelter was full but we couldn’t find it in our hearts to leave a single one. We got on the phone and called lots of friends begging for help. When we arrived at Woodford Humane Society, in a rocking horse trailer filled with thousands of pounds of barking dogs, there lined along the driveway was car after car of caring people willing to take a dog home and foster them. Jackson was the most traumatized of all. He started in our horse barn, where nothing moved but his fearful eyes. Right now, as we speak, he is lounging in front of the fireplace on his extra large dog bed!”

Sandy Davis is Public Relations Director with the Woodford Humane Society, which places an estimated 90 percent of all the animals who are surrendered to their facility to loving homes. Davis considers having pets altered of the utmost importance. “Spay Day helps raise awareness about the importance of spay and neuter. The Woodford Humane Society’s mission is SAVE (Spay/neuter, Adopt, Volunteer, Educate) and all our efforts support this mission every day. Homeless puppies, kittens, dogs and cats continue to arrive daily to our community’s already overcrowded shelters, humane societies and rescue groups. All pet owners can help the homeless pet overpopulation crisis by altering their animals now. Help us continue to work for a day where there are no more homeless pets. The animals need your help. Spay/neuter saves lives.”

On the inside back page of every Ace, you will find a Pet Pick, highlighting a dog or cat available for Adoption. Adoption coordinators will help you find the right match for your household. If you have your heart set on a particular breed, purebred rescue is almost always an option as well.

By the Numbers
 
  * The average number of litters a fertile cat produces is one to two a year; average number of kittens is 4-6 per litter.
  * The average number of litters a fertile dog produces is one a year; average number of puppies is 4-6.
  * Owned cats and dogs generally live longer, healthier lives than strays.
  * Most strays are lost pets who were not kept properly indoors or provided with identification.
  * Only ten percent of the animals received by shelters have been spayed or neutered. About 75 percent of owned pets are neutered.
  * The cost of spaying or neutering a pet is less than the cost of raising puppies or kittens for a year.
  * Five out of ten dogs in shelters and seven out of ten cats in shelters are destroyed simply because there is no one to adopt them
  * One female cat and her offspring can produce 420,000 cats in 7 years
  * An estimated 27,473 dogs and cats are euthanized in animal shelters each DAY in the United States.
  * That’s 10 MILLION animals per year.
  * 25% of that number are PUREBRED - and millions more are abandoned, only to suffer from disease, starvation or injury before dying.
  * Be part of the solution, not part of the problem. Spay/Neuter.

by: Ace

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• Tags: Woodford Humane, Lexington Humane, Spay Day USA
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