Friday — April 2, 2004

Column: A moment to paws

Be part of the solution

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By Christine Ferguson

Did you know that on average, for each pet adopted to a new home, nine animals are euthanized because there are not enough homes for them. Each day in the U.S., 70,000 puppies and kittens are born while only 10,000 humans are born. That's a 7-to-1 ratio. In 1995, the City of Idaho Falls Animal Control Center euthanized 1,928 animals out of a total of 2,880 animals received. This does not include roaming animals killed in traffic and deceased animals from other sources.

Each year in the U.S., almost 15,000,000 dogs and cats are destroyed because there are not enough loving homes for them all.

Please don't fool yourself into thinking that if you can find a home for each of your pet's offspring you avoid adding to the number of homeless pets. Usually, you've only eliminated potential homes for other waiting dogs or cats. Only so many responsible, caring homes exist, and finding a home for one of your pet's offspring just prevents some other dog or cat from finding a nice home.

Only you can help prevent unwanted pet reproduction. If you get a puppy or a kitten, plan to have it surgically sterilized as soon as the animal is old enough. This procedure is beneficial for you and your pet, as it makes them calmer, more content indoors, less aggressive to other pets and people, less likely to get in outdoor fights, and less susceptible to certain forms of cancer, particularly in females. Too many people are under the impression spaying or neutering can only be done after a pet reaches the age of 5 to 7 months. By tradition, waiting until a pet was older increased survival rate during surgery. However, with modern technology, there’s no need to prolong spaying and neutering as a medical reason.

The most obvious reason for spaying or neutering is to prevent adding to the pet overpopulation problem. However, there are other real benefits particularly relating to a pet’s health. Sterilized pets have twice the average life expectancy of unsterilized pets, partly due to a much lower chance of suffering from breast, uterine, prostate and testicular cancer. Also, since the urge to mate is eliminated, neutered pets are less likely to roam from home and be injured in fights or killed in traffic.

By improving a pet’s health, spaying or neutering can also increase her or his life span. Best of all, altering is the first step toward preventing homelessness, and will allow a pet more opportunities to be a member of the family, an unconditional benefit for everyone.

Part of our mission, as directors of your local animal shelter, is to reduce pet over-population through education and an active spay/ neuter program. If you would like further information, or help in underwriting the cost for spay and neuter procedures, please give the shelter office a call at 788-4351. Be part of the solution.

 

Christine Ferguson is the president of the Animal Shelter of Wood River Valley

The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.