If you cannot adopt, please donate to our URGENT DOG FUND so that we can continue to save the lives of these loyal animals!
(when donating, choose "personal" and then "gift" so that paypal doesn't steal 3% of your donation as a fee)
YOU CAN HELP BY SPAYING AND NEUTERING ANIMALS IN YOUR COMMUNITY!
The animals killed in our shelters each day include kittens and puppies that never had a chance, adults, seniors, purebreds, owner drop-offs and strays alike. Many shelters are so full that any animal that is an owner surrender is immediately killed. The number of animals killed each year in shelters does not include animals that die on our streets and in our neighborhoods due to abandonment, injury, starvation, or neglect.
| Statistics: |
(Estimates) |
| Each day about 70,000 puppies and kittens are born. As compared to approximately 10,000 humans born each day, with birth rates this high, there will never be enough homes for these animals. |
70,000/day |
| The estimated number of feral (homeless/wild) cats in the United States: |
60 – 100 million |
| Theoretically, the number of cats that can be produced by a female cat and her offspring in 7 years time: |
420,000 in 7 yrs |
| Theoretically, the number of dogs that can be produced by a female dog and her offspring in 6 years time: |
67,000 in 6 yrs |
| Percentage of all dogs entering shelters that are killed: | 61% |
| Percentage of all cats entering shelters that are killed: | 75% |
| Percentage of dogs in shelters who are purebred: | 25% HSUS estimate |
| The cost imposed on U.S. taxpayers each year to impound, shelter, euthanize, and dispose of homeless animals. | $2 billion USA Today estimate |
If you or someone you know has an animal that is not yet sterilized, please apply for a certificate with Friends of Animals. You can then take the certificate to a nearby participating veterinarian (look them up based on zip code here) and the cost of the spay/neuter will be subsidized by the certificate.
You can also search for low-cost options by state here and also here.
If you're close to
If you have specific questions about where to find spay/neuter locations near you, please contact us and we will be happy to assist you!
By spaying/neutering, you won’t only be saving the lives of shelter animals, you may also be saving your pets life by:
~ Eliminating testicular tumors and reducing prostate gland problems in males.
~ Eliminating the risk of mammary gland tumors and ovarian and uterine cancer in females.
~ Reducing the urge to roam and making it less likely that your animal will get lost and contract a disease,
get into a fight, get injured or become a victim of cruelty, poison or a traffic accident.
~ Eliminating discomfort, distress, and distraction associated with the drive to find a mate... making your pet
happier and more content and less likely to chew/scratch in your home.
~ Reducing marking behavior (territorial spraying of urine) in the home and yard.
~ Reducing the urge to fight.
~ Eliminating the mess and stress of a heat cycle.
| MYTH: My pet will get fat and lazy. |
| FACT: The truth is that most pets get fat and lazy because their owners feed them too much and don't give them enough exercise. |
| MYTH: It's better to have one litter first. |
| FACT: Medical evidence indicates just the opposite. In fact, the evidence shows that females spayed before their first heat are typically healthier. Many veterinarians now sterilize dogs and cats as young as eight weeks of age. Check with your veterinarian about the appropriate time for these procedures. |
| MYTH: My children should experience the miracle of birth. |
|
FACT: Even if children are able to see a pet give birth—which is unlikely, since it usually occurs at night and in seclusion—the lesson they will really learn is that animals can be created and discarded as it suits adults. Instead, it should be explained to children that the real miracle is life and that preventing the birth of some pets can save the lives of others. And if you really want your children to have this experience, apply as a foster parent at a local shelter--each year, shelters intake hundreds of litters. The SPCA in Philadelphia has approximately 32 litters of kittens and pregnant cats that come in their doors EACH DAY who are in dire need of foster homes--please help them instead of creating more!. |
| MYTH: But my pet is a purebred. |
| FACT: So is at least one out of every four pets brought to animal shelters around the country. There are just too many dogs and cats—mixed breed and purebred. |
| MYTH: I want my dog to be protective. |
| FACT: Spaying or neutering does not affect a dog's natural instinct to protect home and family. A dog's personality is formed more by genetics and environment than by sex hormones. |
| MYTH: I don't want my male dog or cat to feel like less of a male. |
| FACT: Pets don't have any concept of sexual identity or ego. Neutering will not change a pet's basic personality. He doesn't suffer any kind of emotional reaction or identity crisis when neutered. |
| MYTH: But my dog (or cat) is so special, I want a puppy (or kitten) just like her. |
| FACT: A dog or cat may be a great pet, but that doesn't mean her offspring will be a carbon copy. Professional animal breeders who follow generations of bloodlines can't guarantee they will get just what they want out of a particular litter--your chances are even slimmer. In fact, an entire litter of puppies or kittens might receive all of a pet's (and her mate's) worst characteristics. When it's time for another pet--adopt and save a life! |
| MYTH: It's too expensive to have my pet spayed or neutered. |
|
FACT: Did you see the information posted above about low-cost spay/neuter? If you didn't--please look again. The cost of spaying or neutering depends on the sex, size, and age of the pet, your veterinarian's fees, and a number of other variables. But whatever the actual price, spay or neuter surgery is a one-time cost—a relatively small cost when compared to all the benefits. It's a bargain compared to the cost of having a litter and ensuring the health of the mother and litter; two months of pregnancy and another two months until the litter is weaned can add up to significant veterinary bills and food costs if complications develop. Most importantly, it's a very small price to pay for the health of your pet and the prevention of the births of more unwanted pets. |
| MYTH: I'll find good homes for all the puppies and kittens. |
| FACT: You may find homes for all of your pet's litter. But each home you find means one less home for the dogs and cats in shelters who need good homes. Also, in less than one year's time, each of your pet's offspring may have his or her own litter, adding even more animals to the population. The problem of pet overpopulation is created and perpetuated one litter at a time. |
If you still need more convincing, watch the videos below--they will break your heart <3
YOU CAN HELP BY VOLUNTEERING!
Without people to help transport our dogs from the gassing shelters to our rescue and their forever homes, we cannot save them. If you are located anywhere on the East Coast of the United States and you have a valid driver's license and a vehicle (whether it's a Prius or a Hummer), we need your help! Please email us a completed volunteer application and we will get back to you as soon as possible with details about our next transport.
Also--if you're a registered pilot with your own small plane, please check out PilotsNPaws.org--you can save lives while enjoying your flight and deducting you fuel expenses on your tax return.
If you're located in the Philadelphia area, we need your help on the weekends to 'show' dogs at our adoption events and we also need help with coordinating events. If you can help in any way, please email us a completed volunteer application. Thank you so much!!!
If you are not located in the Philadelphia area but are still looking to help save dogs from gassing, please contact us anyway--we can refer you to some of our contacts in other areas--all rescuers are always in need of volunteers.
*~* Our volunteers are not paid because they're priceless *~*
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Volunteer Application.pdf Size : 263 Kb Type : pdf |
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Volunteer Application.doc Size : 49 Kb Type : doc |
(Please Note: We have attached the Volunteer Application in both a Microsoft Word and PDF format--both documents are identical. If you are not operating with the most recent version of Microsoft Office, the formatting on the Word file may appear strange--if that's the case, we recommend printing the PDF file, filling it out by hand and then scanning it and emailing it back to us. Thank you!)
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