Spay & Neuter Matters

According to the Humane Society of the United States, four million cats and dogs—about one every eight seconds—are put down in U.S. shelters each year. Often these animals are the offspring of cherished family pets. Spay/neuter is a proven way to reduce pet overpopulation, ensuring that every pet has a family to love them.

With funding from the Telluride Animal Foundation, Soul Dog Rescue, Second Chance Humane Society, DFW Rescue Me and other rescue organizations have been instrumental in reducing the over pet population on the Western Slope and beyond. One of the Telluride Animal Foundation’s main objectives is spay and neuter and in less than one year, the organization has sponsored clinics that have resulted in the sterilization of over 1000 animals. The ultimate goal is to reduce the number of animals that are euthanized due to the enormous over pet population problem worldwide.

So does spay and neuter really matter? You don’t have to look too far to realize it does. A good example is Jaws, a chocolate Labrador retriever, at Black Canyon Animal Sanctuary. Jaws is about a year and a half old and came to Black Canyon after his owners decided they didn’t want him anymore, left to fend for himself and found wandering the streets with a worn out collar and a leash that was broken off and frayed. Jaws is one of the lucky ones that was found by Debbie and brought to her no kill sanctuary in Hotchkiss, Colorado. Dogs like Jaws are born everyday into litters of unwanted animals and their stories don’t usually end well, shelters are overcrowded and do their best to adopt out the animals in their care, but more often than not they are euthanized. Please help spread the word that spay and neuter really does matter!