BLOG: TAIL TALK
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[It's springtime, and love is in the air. For every animal that is currently unaltered they run the risk of reproducing unwanted puppies and kittens that will end up in shelters all across the country.
Why Spay or Neuter?
If you think that just having one or two litters won't hurt anybody, this fact should change your mind: according to the Humane Society of the United States, 10,000 babies are born in the U.S. on any given day. On that same day, however, 70,000 puppies and kittens are born. Match those two statistics up, and you'll see that there will never be enough homes for all the animals born in this country unless we all take responsibility for spaying and neutering our pets. Change begins with YOU! Spay or neuter your pet!
Spayed/neutered pets live longer, healthier lives
Spaying your female pet greatly reduces the risk of breast cancer and completely eliminates the threat of uterine and ovarian cancer.
Neutering your male pet prevents testicular cancer and prostate problems, and helps him avoid serious health problems like hernias and perianal tumors.
Males neutered at a young age are far less likely to develop dominance or aggression-related behavior problems, including possession and food guarding, territory marking (lifting his leg on everything in sight), aggression toward other dogs, and "humping" inappropriate objects.
Neutering your male pet relieves him of the constant urge to go out in search of a female in heat. Ridding him of his urge to roam could very well save his life, and save you from a terrible broken heart.
Spaying your dog or cat eliminates her heat cycle and the mess that goes with it. Also, females in heat often cry and howl incessantly, develop nervous behavior, and attract every unaltered male dog in the neighborhood to your yard!
Altered animals are generally more docile and easier to train.
And now a word from Heidi, the President of the Randolph County Humane Society:
According to the American Humane Association, nearly 10 million animals are euthanized annually in the United States. That's 833,333 every month- 208,333 every week - 27,778 each day - 1,157 every hour! Or...think of it this way - 19 companion animals are put to sleep every minute of every hour of every day each year. I know I don't like those odds at all, and at RCHS that will never happen as long as we continue to do our part and spread the word and take a stand against the breeding that runs wild in every county, city and community. PLEASE SPAY & NEUTER, it's not that expensive, and there are programs that will help. PLEASE do your part! Spread the news that animals are dying needlessly and WE CAN CHANGE THE ODDS, WE JUST HAVE TO FIGHT A LITTLE HARDER and TAKE A STAND!
It is a common myth that pet overpopulation means there are "not enough" homes for all the shelter animals. In reality, there are more than enough homes, but not enough people are choosing to adopt from a shelter. Seventeen million Americans acquire a new pet each year -- that is more than double the number of shelter animals! Sadly, only 3.5 million people, or about 20 percent, choose to adopt their new pet. The rest choose to buy their pets from pet stores or breeders, or they choose a variety of other cheap or free sources, such as friends, neighbors or Internet ads.
Virtually all puppies sold at pets stores come from puppy mills, where dogs live miserably in tiny cages with little or no opportunity to exercise, play or socialize. Although there are many responsible breeders, there are far more irresponsible ones who are breeding for profit without regard for good health and temperament or the pet overpopulation problem.
So what do you say. Will you stand with us and see if we can change the odds, and maybe, just maybe, stop the constant influx of animals that find their way through our door starting now because of the unaltered animals? After all, it is only through you that the Randolph County Humane Society continues to save lives, one by one.