Morgan County Humane Society, Indiana

Spay & Neuter Information
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Pet Overpopulation is the number one killer of dogs and cats in the United States. Each year an estimated ten million dogs, cats, puppies and kittens are put to death in our nation's animal shelters as a method of population control. The majority of these animals were young, healthy and adoptable. In addition, millions of abandoned pets and feral cats suffer on the street as they attempt to survive on their own.

Pet overpopulation is preventable.

The answer: spay/neuter your pets!

The facts about CATS

A female cat can begin breeding
as young as 4 months old.
One unaltered female cat and her
off-spring can produce 420,000
cats in only 7 years.

The facts about DOGS

Nationally, 80% of the dogs hit by
cars are unaltered males searching
for mates.
One unaltered female dog and her
off-spring can produce 67,000
dogs in only 6 years.
As many as 25% of dogs entering
shelters each year are purebreds.

Spay/Neuter Assistance Information

MCHS provides spay/neuter assistance to low income, pet owned families. To qualify, you must be a Morgan County resident. You will also need come in to, or call the shelter to fill out an application.

You can also obtain low cost spay/neuter services, and information at the following:

http://www.facespayneuter.com/

http://www.spayneuterservices.org/

http://www.spayusa.org/

The Benefits of an Altered Pet:

The information below was provided by Spay-Neuter Services of Indiana

Spaying or Neutering Your Pet

Spaying female dogs and cats eliminates the possibility of ovarian cancer and reduces the incidences of breast cancer.
Neutering male dogs and cats reduces the incidences of prostate cancer.
Spayed and neutered dogs and cats have healthier lives.
Spayed and neutered animals are calmer, more obedient, more affectionate pets.
Spaying eliminates the female's heat cycle which can occur two times a year in a dog and three or more times a year in a cat.
Spaying eliminates the spotting or staining which is part of a female dog's cycle.
Neutered cats are less likely to mark territory by spraying.
Spayed or neutered pets are less likely to bite, be aggressive, bark excessively, or exhibit destructive behavior.
Neutered pets are less likely to roam the neighborhood, run away, get into a fight, or be hit by a car

A spayed/neutered pet is a happy & healthy pet!

The text below was provided by The Humane Society of the United States/Humane Society International, 2100 L Street, NW, Washington, DC 20037, USA (www.hsus.org).

Our community has an overload of companion animals. Too many dogs and cats aren't wanted anywhere by anybody, so they are treated as disposable items instead of living creatures.

Owners abandon pets they have tired of caring for and dump unwanted litters on doorsteps or along roadsides. Countless companion animals suffer and die on the streets, in alleys, or in the wild. The luckier rejected pets are surrendered to animal shelters. Between four and six million cats and dogs are euthanized each year at shelters in the United States because loving, responsible caregivers cannot be found.

You can help end this tragedy by making sure that your pet does not contribute to the overload. Have your pet spayed or neutered by a veterinarian-this is the first, most important step you can take as a responsible pet owner. (Remember, even if you find a home for your pet's puppies or kittens, you are still taking a home from another companion animal.)

Spayed an neutered pets make better, healthier companions: they are less likely to bite, to spray or mark territory, or to roam and fight. Spayed female dogs and cats do not suffer from uterine or ovarian cancer and have a much smaller incidence of breast cancer. Neutered male dogs and cats have a lower rate of prostate disease and avoid testicular cancer.

Contrary to popular belief, sterilized pets do not necessarily become fat and lazy. This happens only if pets are given too much to eat and too little exercise.

If you have a friend who wants a puppy or kitten, urge that friend to adopt one from a local shelter-where there is always a wonderful selection of mixed-breed and purebred pets waiting for good homes. There simply are not enough homes for them all.

Please spay or neuter your pet and urge others to do the same---help reduce the pet population so that all companion animals will get the lifelong care and respect they deserve.

Useful Information about Spay/Neuter:

Canine Spay: http://www.vetinfo.com/dspay.html

No Excuse Not to Spay and Neuter: http://www.cvm.uiuc.edu/petcolumns/showarticle.cfm?id=281

Why Neuter Your Male Dog?

http://www.y2spay.org/Main.htm

Advantages of Spaying and Neutering http://www.vospca.org/archive/spayneut.html

The Benefits of Neutering Your Pet http://www.adoptapet.com/adoptapet/benefits.html