by Carol Kline for Noah’s Ark Animal Foundation

It’s a simple fact that there are too many dogs and cats born each year. Millions of these innocent animals end up abandoned-either by the side of the road or in animal shelters—to meet an uncertain fate.

It’s a bad situation any way you look at it: it’s expensive for taxpayers, a safety hazard, a waste of resources and most importantly, a terribly cruel way to manage the populations of companion animals who share our hearts and homes. The good news is that there is an easy solution. If all of us spay or neuter our pets, this problem can be eliminated.

Yet, somehow the problem persists year after heartbreaking year, because not everyone is willing to do this one simple thing. Even well-intentioned people who mean to have their pets spayed or neutered, wait too long and find themselves faced with unexpected litters.

Money no longer has to be an obstacle. Financial assistance is available from Noah’s Ark’s Caring Community Spay/Neuter Assistance Program (CCSNAP), so everyone can afford to do the responsible thing.

The plain truth is: People don’t make it a priority. Here are five reasons to make that spay or neuter appointment TODAY!

1. It’s the humane thing to do. One of the most popular excuses people use to justify NOT spaying or neutering their pets is that they feel it’s not “natural.” Domesticating wild animals and keeping them in homes as pets isn’t “natural” either. But the pet-owner relationship—with all its joys and benefits—is here to stay, so it’s up to us as pet owners to responsibly manage this “un-natural” situation. We’ve created animals who are dependent on us to give them homes, so we’d better be sure there are enough homes. This necessitates our intervention in our pet’s reproductive life.
2. An altered pet is a better-behaved pet. Another reason why leaving pets in a “natural” (unaltered) state is a bad idea is behavior problems. Dogs and cats are happiest without the biological drives (for territory, dominance and mating) that help them succeed in the wild. In fact, most of the common behavior problems in pets disappear once the pet is neutered or spayed-especially when the animals are altered at an early age. Veterinarians can spay and neuter dogs and cats starting at 4 months of age. This also saves money since the price of the spay/neuter operations is based on a pet’s weight and younger pets obviously weigh less than full grown ones. It’s a documented fact: Spayed and neutered cats and dogs make better pets. They are happier, more content and easier to live with!
3. Healthier pets. In addition, pets are healthier and live longer after they have been spayed or neutered. Many cancers in both male and female animals can be avoided by simply having a pet fixed before it has a chance to reproduce.
4. It saves money. There’s a myth circulating that selling purebred puppies can be lucrative. Any responsible “backyard” breeder will tell you: If you think you can make money breeding and selling puppies, think again! The truth is that only large, professional, “puppy mills” profit from selling pups and that is generally at the expense of the dogs’ mental and physical health.
5. Less work and mess. Another reason people give to not spay and neuter a pet is that they want “just one litter” so that their children can experience the “wonder of birth.” This is a great idea in theory, but in reality, it is expensive, messy and time-consuming to take care of a mother animal and her brood. More importantly, what if it isn’t possible to find homes for all the puppies and kittens? Worse, what if the new homes don’t spay or neuter the puppy or kitten they adopt? Then that “just one litter” can multiply exponentially, contributing to those millions of unwanted animals that are born—and destroyed—every year.

Noah’s Ark urges everyone to please spay and neuter your pet… so there will be homes for all of them!