Raeana Gall

English 2010
Report

Why is there an overpopulation of pets

There is a serious overpopulation of animals in the United States. The problem is, there
is not enough humans for all the pets or funds to shelter them properly. It has been determined
that half of the 6-8 million animals end up being euthanized each year. The pet overpopulation is
not only a health and safety issue but it is also a financial problem that can be solved by spaying
and neutering pets.
Approximately two billion is spent annually to impound, shelter, euthanized by gas
chambers and dispose of homeless animals. (Mulholland, Jessica). Euthanasia by gas chambers
was the number one way to dispose of stray and homeless animals. It is cruel use of gas to kill a
lot of animals in shelters that are not no-kill shelters. The gas causes neurological failure and the
lungs to shut down so the animals die of asphyxiation.

Why spaying and neutering is important

Spaying and neutering your pets reduces the pet population and decreases the amount of
animals being euthanized by preventing the reproduction of more animals. The Humane Society
and other organizations have invested large amounts of money in programs to lower costs and
subsidize spaying and neutering for pet owners. The hope is that these programs will reduce the
intake and need of euthanasia by gas chambers of millions of adoptable animals. If every pet
owner would spay or neuter their animals, it would reduce stray animals in communities and
reduce puppies and kittens being dropped off at shelters.

Addressing neutering and spaying

Neutering directly address the need for animal gas chambers by reducing the amount of
animals without owners. Spaying and neutering doesnt only help the overpopulation of pets but
it also helps to reduce cost for animal bites, animal control officers to patrol and pick up strays in
the community but it also helps the welfare of individual animals. It helps to reduce health
issues such as mammary tumors, vaginal prolapse, prostate cancer and testicular cancer. Spaying
and neutering also reduces aggressive behavior in dogs and cats which put dogs and cats at
higher risk of injury.
There has been many suggestions by government officials to mandate spaying and
neutering of pets but had no way to enforce it. The decision to spay or neuter pets is ultimately
up to the owner. The Humane Society and government can only make programs available to the
public but they cannot make them use it. People need to be made aware that spaying and
neutering pets not only is a health benefit for the animal they love, but also reduces the amount
of animals being left in shelters or worse being euthanized by gas chambers. It also helps their
communities financially by reduce costs of animal bites, picking up strays and sheltering them.
Spaying and neutering is the only permanent 100 percent effective way of controlling the pet
population.

People that this applies to

This is mainly pointed to people that have animals, and that are adopting new animals.
Reading this will open your eyes to see how important it is to spay and neuter your animals. This
is to educate you on what is happening to animals now because animal owners, new adopters,
and breeders dont see the consequences when you dont spay and neuter your animals it leads to

overpopulation and increased animals being impounded at the animal shelter leading to gas
chambering to put the animal down.

Reduction in drop offs

The table listed below, represent the reduction in shelter drop offs and euthanized animals
to spay and nurturing. This graph highlights how spaying and neutering surgeries are going up
and impoundment of stray and homeless animals is decreasing. The decrease is in direct

Characteristics of the animals being spayed and neutered

Table number two shows the characteristics of dogs and cats being spayed and neutered.
This graph shows age gender and if the animal being spayed or neutered is in heat or already
pregnant and if it is from a shelter, adoption, or purchased from a breeder. It helps to show what

group of people spay and neuter their animals the most and what audience they need to focus on
to get them to spay and neuter

Works cited
1. Mulholland, Jessica. "Reducing Pet Populations in Pittsburgh." Governing 01 July 2012:
Points of View Reference Center. Web. 11 Oct. 2015.
2. Scarlett, Janet, and Naomi Johnston. "Impact Of A Subsidized Spay Neuter Clinic On
Impoundments And Euthanasia In A Community Shelter And On Service And Complaint

Calls To Animal Control." Journal Of Applied Animal Welfare Science 15.1 (2012): 5369. Academic Search Premier. Web. 11 Oct. 2015.
3. "Why You Should Spay/Neuter Your Pet: The Humane Society of the United States."
RSS. The Humane Society, 24 Aug. 2015. Web. 11 Oct. 2015.

Images works cited

1. Rix, Fred. "Dogs Tags for Virtual Sniffing." Illustration. Technology Review 110.4 (July
2007): 16. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. [Salt Lake Community College],
[Taylorsville], [Utah]. 14 December 2007.