Spay Day USA photo competition winners announced

Earlier this month, we encouraged people to spay or neuter their pets because of the many benefits to both pets and people. In that article, we mentioned the Humane Society Spay Day USA pet photo competition.

The winners of that competition have been announced - click here to see the Grand Finalist and enjoy the other top ranked photos in the competition, there are some great action shots and more than one scored off the chart for cuteness - this one finalist's goofy grin made us smile!

Spay Day USA is a HSUS initiative targeted at reducing pet overpopulation (and, less directly, the shelter overcrowding that results from too many strays). Since its inception in 1995, more than one million animals have been spayed or neutered because of Spay Day USA.

In this episode of LA LAW: Spay or Neuter Your Pet!

Upwards of 70,000 dogs and cats are euthanized each year in the Los Angeles City Shelters alone (that figure does not include all other surrounding LA County shelters) - at an annual cost to the city of approximately $2million. Late last month, LA took a step towards reducing those numbers when Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa signed into law a requirement for all cats and dogs* in LA to be sterilized by the time they're four months old. Failure to comply can result in fines of up to $500 or 40 hours of community service.

LA isn't the first city to take this step. In fact, a statewide bill called California Healthy Pets Act (AB1634) was proposed and approved in the State Assembly in June last year. These measures are intended to reduce the $250 million spent by California taxpayers each year to put down half a million unwanted animals. Los Angeles follows in the steps of Santa Cruz County, who became one of the first counties in California to mandate spaying and neutering of pets a dozen years ago. According to officials, this has increased adoption rates because there fewer strays and unwanted litters has eased overcrowding in shelters, meaning animals can be sheltered longer thereby increasing their chances of finding a home.

Other cities and counties around the country have adopted similar measures - San Francisco has significantly reduced the number of pit bull terriers and pit bull mixes abandoned and euthanized in their city after the city implemented a law that requires pit bulls to be sterilized. Palm Beach County in Florida also recently enacted a "spay or pay" mandatory sterilization law to reduce the number of animals being euthanized due to overcrowding in the tri-county area shelters.

Across the nation in the last year, over 32 counties or cities have considered compulsory spay/neuter ordinances, while 4 states considered state-wide mandatory sterilization laws. None passed at the State level, but similar legislation is expected to go before those 4 states again soon.

Mandatory sterilization is a controversial topic, with breeders baulking at increased regulation and some pet owners bristling at being forced to be responsible. But as we pointed out in a recent post encouraging pet sterilization - the numbers stack up: three to four million animals are being euthanized across this country every year, unnecessarily and at great cost to the tax payer. Compulsory pet sterilization laws may just reduce those numbers and make it easier for pets in shelters to find homes.

* Obviously there are some exemptions to these laws: for example, animals that have competed in shows or competitions, guide dogs, animals used by police agencies and those belonging to professional breeders would be exempt from these requirements.

How Spaying or Neutering helps reduce "disposable pets"

Wouldn't you love to live in a world where there was a loving, lifetime home for every animal in a shelter? We certainly would! But right now, according to the Humane Society of the US, pet overpopulation is a bigger issue than most people think.

Between 6 and 8 million dogs and cats enter a shelter every year, and only about half of those actually find a home. The rest are euthanized. These aren't just street strays, a full quarter of dogs in shelters are pure bred!

By spaying or neutering your pet, you can have an impact on pet over population and also on your pet's health! And let's be honest - it's not that much fun to have to endure the nightly caterwauling of a Siamese cat in heat, or to handle all those amorous neighborhood dogs when walking your pooch when she's "in the mood".

Remember too, that pet overpopulation isn't limited to dogs and cats - we know from personal experience how fast two rabbits can become twenty (true story!) - and how hard it can be to find homes for your pet's litter.

If you are concerned about cost, the HSUS notes that "Humane societies work with veterinarians to offer subsidized and affordable spay and neuter services" - so your pet can have the best possible care for the lowest possible cost.

You can download a fact sheet by the ASPCA on spaying and neutering from the Companions for Life website in English or Spanish.

And last but not least, why not enter your pet into the HSUS Spay Day USA Photo Contest? It's a great way to win prizes as well as spreading the message about the benefits of spaying or neutering pets!