February 26, 2019 is the 25th annual World Spay Day – a day to shine a spotlight on the power of affordable, accessible spay/neuter to save the lives of dogs and cats who might otherwise be euthanized in shelters or killed on our streets.

[bctt tweet=”Spay/neuter programs are credited with saving millions of lives by reducing euthanasia from 12 million animals in 1990 to four million in 2018.”]

Over the past 25 years, the spay/neuter movement has been a major factor in reducing dog and cat overpopulation by nearly 80% nationally. Comprehensive and well-run spay/neuter programs are credited with saving millions of lives by reducing euthanasia from 12 million animals in 1990 to four million in 2018.

We celebrate these accomplishments, and the work being done by spay/neuter clinics everywhere. But the work is not done. There are still four million dogs and cats being euthanized in the United Stated every year – and euthanizing them is not the answer for a civilized, caring society.

As the nation’s only collaborative referral network of state programs for affordable spay/neuter services and education for the public, United Spay Alliance (USA) is uniquely poised to be the most effective voice and advocate of spay/neuter.

Our coalition of programs each has assembled, in their respective states, a network of veterinarians, clinics and programs providing affordable sterilization for cats and dogs to provide high-quality, low-cost spay/neuter options for pets’ owners.
We empower our independent, nonprofit affiliates by providing them with resources, networking and educational opportunities to help them develop, strengthen, coordinate and deliver affordable spay/neuter in their communities. These state affiliates have facilitated hundreds of thousands of sterilizations, preventing millions of unwanted animals from being born.

With more than 4 million dogs and cats still needing homes though, it’s clear that adoption alone cannot solve the problem. Community spay/neuter must be combined with thoughtful adoption programs to successfully mitigate the flow of homeless pets in our communities. It is proven that without strong spay/neuter services, area shelter intake skyrockets with litters of homeless animals, taxingalready limited resources.

So, on this World Spay Day, please help spread the message that spaying and neutering saves lives. Spay and neuter your pets and encourage friends and family to do the same.

Visit our state spay/neuter affiliate programs page to find a spay/neuter program near you