he 16th annual Spay Day is coming on Tuesday, February 23. It is a day that is set aside to encourage people to think about the huge problem of pet overpopulation and the only real solution.
With the steady growth in Lee County comes additional pet overpopulation problems and it seems the shelter is full all the time. The average person does not understand the problem of pet overpopulation and how many dogs and cats are homeless. They do not understand that there simply are not enough homes for them all of them.
If you have a grasp on the problem of pet overpopulation, I applaud you. If you do not then I encourage you to thoughtfully read the following facts:
- According to the Humane Society of the United States, between eight and twelve million pets enter animal shelters across the country annually.
- Between four and six million of these animals are euthanized. This solution has an annual price tag of over $2 billion.
- ONE THIRD of all animals in shelters today were surrendered by owners.
- The number one reason owners give for surrendering their pets is problem behavior.
- In some areas of the country, only 30% of owned dogs and cats are spayed and neutered.
- Most studies indicate that only about 50% of new owners have the pet they adopt from a shelter spay or neutered.
- In 6 years, one female dog and her offspring can produce 67,000 puppies.
- In just seven years, one female cat and her young can produce 420,000 kittens.
- In addition to the 60 million owned cats in the United States, there are an estimated 60 million feral and free roaming cats. Unaltered (spayed or neutered) feral cats are both a cause and effect of feline overpopulation.
- Since 1997, the staff has seen over 78,000 animals come through our shelter doors. Of those approximately 53,000 were humanely euthanized by the caring staff of the Lee County Humane Society.
Pet overpopulation is real and it is a community problem. Until dogs and cats are routinely spayed or neutered, at least by the age of 6 months, we will continue to have a problem. I encourage you to cut out the facts in this column and pass them on to anyone you know who has allowed their pet to reproduce.
The Humane Society Weekly Wish: Come back here next week and we’ll be talking more about how you can help make a difference.
Jack Fisher
Board of Directors
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