Spaying and neutering is arguably the biggest single issue in domestic animal welfare. The vast majority of animal rescue groups and shelters have placed an emphasis on educating the public about the pet overpopulation problem. The effects of these spay and neuter campaigns has been nothing short of astounding. The number of homeless dogs in the US has dropped considerably in the last 10 years. What we need to keep in mind is that the number of pets in shelters and rescues has dropped to half of what it was in the 90s, there are still some 3 to 4 million dogs occupying the kennels waiting for a home.
New information on the relative safety of the spay and neuter procedures has added to this boom in the homeless population. We are now able to spay and neuter dogs as early as 8 weeks of age, and spaying or neutering your adopted friend is now required before releasing the pet to his or her new home. This also helps in the animals not being returned sue to unplanned pregnancies, or the pups of those pregnancies finding themselves in the same situation the mom/dad were in prior to being rescued. If you have a pet and it is not spayed or neutered, you have no excuse to wait. Make an appointment and have this issue taken care of, there are no downsides.
