Happy World Spay Day!

Affordable, accessible and economically targeted spay/neuter services are a cornerstone of the no-kill movement.

As we have learned over the years, not all spay/neuter surgeries are created equal. If 100 spay/neuter surgeries are provided randomly to a community regardless of zip code or income status, they will not be nearly as effective as 100 procedures provided in zip codes where a disproportionate number of animals enter shelters, and where families otherwise would not be able to afford to have their pets fixed. That’s economic targeting in a nutshell.

Another refinement is targeting the type of animal to be spayed or neutered within those economic parameters — large dogs, small dogs and, of course, cats (always cats, including community cats).

I am pleased and proud to share with you that Best Friends and our more than 1,450 partners devoted a lot of resources toward these targeted spay/neuter efforts in 2015.

Through the Best Friends clinics in Utah and Los Angeles alone, we performed 22,120 surgeries, while our partners, through a combination of grants and vouchers, completed an impressive 110,820 procedures, for a total of 132,940! Many of these were for community cats, who (along with their unweaned kittens) make up a majority of animals dying in our nation’s shelters.

Yay, spay and neuter!

Together, we will Save Them All!